Blood and Iron
by Infernal Blossom
Summary: Under the rubble of a war-torn world, you have to fight to take what's yours. She's come to take back her name. He's arrived to fight for his heart. As their comrades and enemies enter the battlefield, it'll become one hell of a fight. Later follows Scenario Campaign storyline. CURRENTLY UNDERGOING UPDATES
1. Chapter 1: The Other Student

"...I'm getting tired of this, Hwoarang. How many times must I tell you? Stop getting mixed up in street fights!"

Once again, the notorious street brawler Hwoarang was up to no good. His master, Baek Doo San, had caught him picking a fight in a Seoul alleyway. And as he usually did, Baek gave a lecture as he easily beat the thugs that remained and dared to challenge him, grabbed his student by the back of his vest and dragged him back to the _**dojang**_. Under normal circumstances, the grand master would have slapped his student around a few times to teach him a lesson rather than a lecture and public humiliation. Under normal circumstances, he'd find Hwoarang's foot about to crater some poor wuss' face in, but not today. Instead, it was Hwoarang he found to be the injured one: bruised skin, a bloodied lip, and scrapes all across his arms. He knew his student well enough to see his student return from a fight unscathed, whether there were weapons involved or not. So how was it this time, the infamous Blood Talon of Korea was the injured one? And who had caused it?

"I can't even let you out of my sight for ten minutes, can I? Look at you! You were practically face-down!" Baek continued, letting go of Hwoarang's collar. The redhead listened to his master scold him, tuning in and out every few seconds, until they arrived at the building. "You're lucky I've decided to still allow you to keep your rank." The master found his keys and pushed them into the front door, and was slightly surprised to find it already unlocked. They stepped in and Baek removed his hat. "Go clean yourself up. Then get ready for some training. You're going to work until I think you've made amends for your mistakes today." Baek stepped into his office and shut the door, leaving Hwoarang to sigh and rub his swollen cheek. He walked down the hallway, passing by the main training space. At the same time, another person, already in uniform, made their way past him. He gazed at the person from the side, who completely ignored him and entered the training area.

"...No," he began muttering to himself. "No, no way. It can't be. Maybe I got kicked too hard." He waved off the thought and continued to the men's changing room.

"HAAAAAA!" Hwoarang froze again. He questioned himself again, wondering if his injured mind was playing tricks with him. But it had to be real. The voice matched perfectly. It was **her** voice. "HAAAAAAAA!" There was her yell again. He was positive now. She was in the _**dojang**_, **his** _**dojang**_. Hwoarang ran for the women's locker and knocked on the door. No response came through. He swung the door open. Laying on the first chair was a set of clothes; he knew those clothes. Resting on the floor right below them were the boots, the ones he'd lost to: charcoal heels, each adorning four red straps, a small bloodstain on the outside of the right boot. The pants: black leather, zippers running around the knees and flaring out both sides. The shirt: a dark red midriff with a high neck, the baggy sleeves shifting from red at the shoulders to indigo at the bottom. He'd only had one tougher fight outside of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, against Jin Kazama, and only managed a draw from that battle. But these clothes? He lost to the woman in those clothes.

Hwoarang ran back to the training area and stared through the doorway. There was no doubt now. It was her. Facing away from him in the center of the training floor was the woman. Her black hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. Looking closer at her face, he saw a dirt staining her cheek. He studied her new attire. A black belt's uniform, with the symbol of authority tied around her waist. He counted the gold stripes on her belt. Five? But he'd never seen her before! What was she doing here? "Hey, you!" Hwoarang yelled out to her. The woman paused her movements and turned his way. He caught sight of the burgundy streak dyed into the bangs on the left side of her face. Hazel eyes stared into sienna, the cold aura streaming into the sienna and bringing them to shiver. After glancing at him from the side for a minute, she turned her entire body in his direction and crossed her arms, scowling.

"You again?" the woman said back to him. Her voice held the same temperature her eyes delivered. "Didn't you have enough from before? Or have you crawled back for seconds?" Hwoarang's eye twitched in anger. They stared each other down again, until she relaxed her body and sighed, annoyed. "Look, I need to resume my training. I've got a class to assist with tomorrow. So why don't you run off and play, street rat?" She turned her back to him and continued from where she'd left off.

Hwoarang's glare intensified. "Street rat?" His teeth grit as the memory of what aspired earlier that morning replayed in his mind.

* * *

_The Blood Talon clapped dust off of his hands as he watched the three men on the ground writhe in pain. With a satisfied look on his face, he turned his attention away from them and started out of the alleyway. He suddenly stopped when he heard a voice._

"_So that's it? You're leaving without finishing the job?"_

_Hwoarang slowly spun around to find another person standing a few feet away. Their arms were crossed across their chest, and a red motorcycle helmet shrouded their face. "Really now," he answered. "And who the hell are you?" His new opponent unfolded their arms, and he could already tell this would be amusing. The opponent removed the red helmet and set it down next to their feet. The moment he saw the ebony locks fall out from their confinement, Hwoarang's suspicions were confirmed. His opponent was definitely a woman. He smirked, holding in a laugh. "Are you serious?"_

"_Excuse me?" she replied, her voice stinging like dry ice._

"_You really want ME to fight YOU? That's cute, lady." He began laughing, not noticing his previous targets cowering in fear and quickly making their escape._

"_What's the harm in going for it? Besides, it's not like an unskilled street rat like you could even touch me."_

_Hwoarang immediately stopped laughing. "Mind running that by me again?" He pushed his goggles up and tightened his fists, donning his fighting stance. "I can take you. All I need is three seconds."_

_She crossed her arms again. "Say what you want, street rat." She heard a growl escape his lips."You know what? I'm feeling generous. I'll allow you to take the first swing, since it'll be your only one. Think of it as a much needed handicap." Hwoarang launched forward, throwing a hook punch her way. One second she was in his path; the next, she was at his side, leaving him to stumble and regain his footing._

"_What the-" Did he just miss? No, that was impossible. He'd obviously aimed for her temple. Assuming it was just a fluke, Hwoarang whirled around and aimed a swift roundhouse kick to her torso. This time, she threw her arm down and blocked it with a low block. The Blood Talon growled again. "You wanna go rough? Fine." He started throwing more complicated moves at her, assuming she wouldn't be able to avoid anything. Crescent kicks, back kicks, spinning hook kicks and anything else he could think of were directed at her. But she either dodged or blocked every single one of his attacks. He began to feel like the young white belt children in the weekday afternoon classes: easily overpowered. Now blind with rage, his once carefully thought out maneuvers became wildly thrown attacks. Unfortunately for him, this made it even easier for the woman to evade everything. Minutes passed quickly, with Hwoarang not landing a single blow on his opponent. Growing bored of his misguided attempts, the woman shook her head and jumped as he kicked low. Her body rotated, his head rose, and the side of her boot made contact with his cheek. He was sent flying toward a trash can by a tornado kick. Her feet touched down at the same time he landed next to the cheap metal container._

_He looked up as he stood, seeing her arms crossed again. "You still feel like humiliating yourself? Because I haven't got all day." Her voice was dark and sarcastic. Hwoarang managed to stay standing and dusted off his clothes, feeling a sting hit his skin. Definitely a scrape. He cracked his knuckles and ran for her again. "Thought so." Just as previously played out, Hwoarang couldn't land one hit on her body. He threw a punch and she ducked, his fist grazing the ends of her hair. She grew bored again, When he threw another kick her way, she caught it. He quickly pulled away and slid past her, and went to grab her arm. She caught his wrist, and before he knew it, she had him going in circles. He was released, only to be met with a back kick to the stomach._

_Again he hit the ground, and he rolled a few feet away from her. Hwoarang pushed himself up and immediately felt a sharp pain echo through his skull. "Shit..." He huffed. "That was just a lucky shot!" He shakily lifted himself off the ground and resumed his stance, only to find his opponent gone. "Huh?" His eyes scanned the area. "Hey! I'm not finished yet! Get back-" His voice was cut short when he felt an iron claw gripping the back of his vest. Hwoarang began to shudder, knowing that grip all too well._

* * *

"Unskilled street rat..." he repeated. The nickname slapped his cheek hard. "I'll show you who's unskilled!" Hwoarang kicked off his shoes and charged onto the training floor, assuming his fighting stance. The woman remained still, only staring at him and raising an eyebrow.

"Please. As if I'd fight your pansy ass again."

His eye twitched again, and his blood began to boil. "Pansy ass?" he scoffed. "We'll see who's a pansy ass after this!" He ran toward her and jumped, lunging with a side kick. She shook her head in response and sidestepped, completely avoiding his attack. As he passed her by, her leg swung around and sent him into the wall. Hwoarang pushed himself off and tried another assault. He rose his leg and brought it down to her head.

In his office, Baek had kept himself occupied with going through student files. "He's ready to test next week," he said to himself, noting it on another paper. He set his pen and the folder down on the desk, and suddenly saw the certificates on his wall shake. It was soon followed by a loud banging. "What's all that noise?" The master left his office and hurried down the hall to the training area. "Hwoarang, I thought I told you to-" He was cut off by more banging, followed by yelling. His pace quickened. "Hwoarang!" Baek found his student and the black haired woman caught up in a serious match. They were really trying to hurt each other. "Stop this instant!" He dove right into the battle and separated the two. They were both panting heavily, trying to catch their breath. "Why are you two fighting? And without protective gear?" The woman's eyes widened. She gulped nervously and bowed her head down.

"Master! I'm very sorry for acting like an immature child." Hwoarang was surprised to find the once cold and collected woman cower in fear in his master's presence-

"Wait a second," he interrupted. "**Master**? As in **my** master?" He looked up at Baek. "What's going on here?"

"Silence!" Baek yelled, making his students shudder. "What's the meaning of this? I never allowed such a violent match."

Hwoarang raised his head. "Sir, this is the person! She's the one that kicked my a- Fought me!"

"Well, you're the one that started it!" she commented. "That's what you get for provoking me, _**babo**_-"

"WHAT did I just say?" Baek yelled again, raising his voice more. They both fell silent. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've warned you both about fighting outside of the dojang and tournaments. Countless times. You're black belts. You should know the rules by now. And you should also know that such an act comes with consequences."

The woman shot Hwoarang a glare when she heard him groan. "We'll accept the consequences, sir."

"You know, it's funny you should say that," Baek began, pacing before them. "Hwoarang! Rio! _**Cha-ryuht**_!" Both students shuddered at the volume of his voice and stood at attention. "As black belts, you two should already know the rules by heart. Yet I'm hearing that you've already broken one of the most important ones not once, but _twice_. I'm disappointed in you two." He set his eyes on the woman. "Especially you, Rio. You've been here long enough to know what can and cannot be done." Baek paused his pacing. "You're going to clean the entire _**dojang**_, including the changing rooms and front hall. You will scrub every inch of floor until it's spotless. And you will do so by working together."

Rio stared at him, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious, sir! I can't work together with _that_!" Hwoarang shot her a glare.

"Learn restraint and you won't be reprimanded. But until then, get to work!" Baek turned away from them and left the training area. Shaking her head, Rio angrily muttered under her breath and stormed out. Hwoarang followed after her, watching as she retrieved the cleaning supplies from a small closet. Her movements were indignant and fierce, especially when she pushed the door shut. She almost walked into him, stopping at the last moment, and their eyes met.

She glowered at him. "The hell are you looking at?" She shoved past him with the basket, pushing him out of the way with her shoulder. Hwoarang turned and watched her walk away, and not seeming to know any better, followed her again.

"You're so cocky. Just begging for an ass kicking." She didn't reply. He heard her mumble in a low tone, catching a few insults. "Okay, that's it. We're settling this. Right here, right now." He ran in front of her and blocked her path. His fists tightened and raised as he took his fighting stance. Rio only stared at him like she had before.

"You're joking, right? You really want to do this after seeing the Master get pissed off?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?" He began to hop on his feet.

"I could give a shit whether you're joking or not," Rio started as she shoved past him a second time to enter the women's changing room. "But unlike you, I actually care about keeping my belt." She tossed a brush and bottle of cleaning solution behind her, which he caught. "Go scrub something before _you_ become the mop."

She knelt down and began to gather whatever equipment had been piled on the floor. "Backing down from a fight," she heard Hwoarang say to her in a condescending tone. "Guess you're just as pathetic as you look." Her hands stopped.

He smirked when she stood up, dropping whatever equipment she'd previously held. He'd found her Achille's heel. "I know you didn't just call me pathetic," Rio scoffed. "Just in case you've forgotten, the proof that _you're_ the pathetic one is on your face. Or did I kick you too hard for you to remember?"

His eye twitched. She knew how to retaliate. "It doesn't matter what proof's on my face. You're backing down from _this_ fight. If you were really as tough as you're bragging about, you'd come at me again. But you're not, so that makes you a harrowing excuse of a fighter-"

"You want another ass kicking? Fine!" Rio pushed the equipment aside with her foot and grabbed him by his vest collar, dragging him to the training space. She let him go and stepped away, assuming a fighting stance. Her fists were brought up to shoulder level, and Hwoarang knew he'd pushed her far enough. He took his own fighting stance and gave a piercing glare, trying to provoke her further. "Show me what an unskilled street rat can do." There went his cool demeanor. With his blood boiling, Hwoarang ran straight for and swung his leg, sending a roundhouse her way. She blocked his leg with her foot and countered with a side kick to his midsection. He staggered back a step or two and saw her taunting him with her raised leg. He lunged for her again, this time aiming for a lower sweeping attack. She jumped over his leg to avoid the sweep and he grinned. She'd taken the bait. He used the momentum of his kick to thrust upward and sent a spinning back kick toward her. She hadn't anticipated his reaction, and still off the ground, could only lean out of his range. The kick barely missed. Rio twisted her body and rolled out when she landed, with Hwoarang quickly tailing her, and got to her feet. He threw his arm out at her and faked a punch. She blocked it with her arm, unknowingly falling for another decoy. His hand slid and he grabbed her wrist. Sensing his plan, Rio twisted her arm around, also twisting his in the process, and forced him face down to the floor.

Immediately he began tapping the floor. "Okay! I give! I give!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She applied more pressure on his shoulder.

A grumbling sound from behind broke their concentration. Turning their heads, Hwoarang and Rio saw Baek standing under the framing of the training area entrance, arms crossed and eyes squinting. "Again with the fighting, I see," he said in a low tone. "So you can't even work together to complete a simple task." Rio let go of Hwoarang and bowed to Baek. "Don't try to give me any excuses. Both of you, finish what I told you to do." Hwoarang stood up, rolling out his throbbing shoulder. "This is your final warning. If I find you two fighting without my knowledge again – especially in such a violent manner – I'll be revoking your black belts. Now go!"

Hwoarang saw the rage seething on Rio's face. She stormed out of the training area, taking the first cleaning tools she could grab as she passed Baek. The Master shook his head and returned to his office, leaving Hwoarang to pick up whatever Rio had left behind. She hadn't left him any cleaning solution. He sighed, knowing he'd have to find her, and walked down the hall to the women's changing room. She had her back to the door as she organized whatever mess had been forgotten. The extra bottle he needed was close enough for him to reach for it without causing a disturbance...

"Do you know what the phrase 'go away' means?" she suddenly yelled to him. Hwoarang looked at her, shaking his head.

"Hey, don't go having a hissy fit just because you got in trouble-"

"Well you did, too!" Her head whipped around to face him. "And if it weren't for you being such a moron, I wouldn't have!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe this is something you needed. Your temper's really out of control-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Rio had reached for him and grabbed his vest collar from both sides. She dragged him into the room and pushed him against the wall. As she lifted her arms, Hwoarang could feel air occupying the few inches of space between him and the floor. Their eyes met. Hers, dark and livid, clearly showed how serious she was to the ones that stared back. "I'm not going to repeat myself," she started in a low tone, "so you'd better remember what I say. Stay out of my fucking way. And if you should come this close to me ever again, you'll be hog-tied with your own belt as I axe your head until you're a stain on the floor. Have I made myself clear?" Hwoarang nodded silently and she released her grip, leaving him to fall to his feet as she pushed him out of the room and slammed the door shut.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoyed the revamped Ch 1 of **_**Blood and Iron**_**. It actually came out longer than it did the first time. I'm really glad I'm redoing the story in the early stages. It'll be much easier than rewriting **_**Those Green Eyes**_**, which already has 24 chapters up. But I feel it's necessary for the benefit of the fans.**

**And now, here's chapter 2 rewritten. Enjoy~**

After nearly five and a half hours of scrubbing the wooden floors, the entire dojang was clean. Rio got up off her hands and knees, taking a moment to examine the training hall. Every surface, from the floor to the ceiling, was spotless. "Finally," she sighed heavily, wiping her sweat drenched forehead, "I'm finished cleaning this damned place. And without the little redheaded pansy ass to disturb me, too." She assumed her small threat earlier had scared him off. Her thoughts, however, changed when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching the hall. Obviously, he hadn't learned a thing from either time she'd beaten him. "I thought I told you to stay away from me, little boy."

"Excuse me?"

That wasn't the voice she was looking for. The black haired woman turned toward the doorway to find her master with his arms crossed, looking at her oddly. She went to bow in apology, but he signaled for her to stop as he walked in. "It's alright, Rio. You don't have to apologize. Actually...I'm the one who needs their apology accepted." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I didn't mean to threaten to expel you. You just need to learn to show more-"

"Restraint," Rio finished for him. "I know, Sabumnim. I know that restraint will help me achieve my goal, but...this guy's different. He's immature and stubborn and so full of himself!" She started pacing the floor, waving her hands around. "I mean, just look at the way he acts! It pisses me off so much, I just wanna...I just wanna..." She growled, clenched her fist tight and sent a blow into the punching bag, nearly punching a hole right through the dark blue leather. The hazel eyed woman sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "...Fine, I'll TRY to get along with him. But only because I need to in order to reach my goal." Rio crossed her arms, hearing a sigh or relief come out from Baek.

"That is all I ask of you." His student rolled her eyes and scratched the back of her head before heading for the door. "Rio." She stopped in her tracks and turned to her master. A small smile was plastered across his face. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," she replied before bowing and leaving the room. Rio walked outside, remembering how she'd left South Korea five years ago for college...well, that was her excuse, anyway. She was different back then. The then nineteen year old didn't know much about the different fighting styles of the world, other than karate and tae kwon do. Now twenty three, she was a grown woman with knowledge of almost every single fighting style in existence. All in preparation for one thing...the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. She had to win. There were no other options.

A sudden outburst interrupted her thoughts. "There you are!" That obnoxious tone...yup, it was the 'little boy'. Rio turned to face Hwoarang, giving him her indifferent stare. "What's your name, anyway? I mean, if you're gonna be training here, I might as well know your name." The black haired woman crossed her arms.

"I suppose you make a valid point. But I'll only tell you if you promise not to bug me anymore." He nodded. "The name's Rio Kyok Sang."

Hwoarang reached out his hand to her. "I'm Hwoarang." She just stared at his hand with the same indifferent expression. He retreated his hand, seeing she wasn't going to take the friendly welcome. "So...if you're a student of the master, where've you been this whole time?"

Rio rolled her eyes, realizing she was in for a little interview. "If you must know, I was away at college."

"Okay. How long have you been training here for?"

"Thirteen years. I'm a fifth degree black belt." She saw the the redhead's eyes widen. He finally knew the reason why she'd been able to evade his attacks so easily. Hwoarang himself was a second degree black belt, but his skill was nowhere near hers. As he thought of another question, the twenty three year old woman dug in her pocket, fishing out a lighter and box of cigarettes. As she pulled out one and put it in her mouth, Hwoarang's attention shifted to her lighting the magic stick and taking a long drag.

"Uhh..." He wasn't sure what to say at first. "How do you expect to be a fighter if you're a smoker?" Rio glanced up at him from her cigarette, eyeing him as if he were a total idiot- which, in her eyes, he was anyway. She kept staring at him, until it was drilled into his mind that she was done with the interview.

"If we're finished here," Rio stated in her unfriendly tone, "then I have to be on my way." She pushed past the redhead and went to exit the Dojang.

A firm grasp on her arm stopped her in her tracks. "So how come the master never mentioned you before if you've been here for thirteen years?" She blew some smoke in his face, retaining her indifferent stare.

"Why's it any of your business?"

"Well let's see," he replied sarcastically. "Some random girl waltzes into MY dojang and claims that she's been training here for over a decade, although I've never seen her before, and you expect me to just accept it flat out?" Rio just rolled her eyes, taking another long drag, causing the redhead to growl. "Well?"

The hazel eyed woman blew out more smoke, rolling her eyes again. "Okay, fine, little boy. I made the master promise to keep me a secret for personal reasons. You satisfied?"

"What personal reasons?" She growled a little and he let it go. "Alright, that's it. No more questions."

"Good, then we're done here." Rio put out the cigarette on the bottom of her boot, flicking the used butt in a nearby trashcan. She pushed some of her bangs out of her face, not caring if they fell in front of her eyes again.

Hwoarang rose an eyebrow to her as she tried to leave. "Hey, where're you goin'?" Rio didn't turn as she answered him.

"I thought we agreed that you'd stop annoying me if I told you my name. Now, if I remember correctly, I held up my end of the bargain. So why are you not holding up yours?"

The sienna eyed man rose his hands in defense. "Whoa there, just calm down. I didn't mean to upset you." She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Damn, what's with you? It can't be THAT big of a secret. You're too easily offended." He shouldn't have said that. It earned him a nice punch to the cheek. "Sheesh, Rio!" He started rubbing his now swollen cheek. "What the fuck's your problem? All I said is that you get pissed too easily-" Rio swung at him again, but luckily he ducked this time. He growled and tackled the hazel eyed woman to the ground. "Seriously, WHAT is your problem?"

Rio just rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not the one with the problem, pansy ass. You're just hard of hearing. When I SAY to leave me the hell alone-" She suddenly pushed up with her feet and flipped them over, now sitting on top of him- "I MEAN leave me the hell alone. Got it?" He nodded and she replied, "Good." She got off of him and strolled away, lighting another cigarette as she rounded the corner.

"What a bitch she is," he muttered to himself. And he knew bitchy women. He'd dated plenty. But Rio? She was on a bitch scale of her own. Why, he had no idea, but he wanted to find out so he could get back at her for humiliating him in front of his own gang members. So Hwoarang ignored Rio's warnings and ran after her. She could hear his footsteps behind her.

"If you're trying to sneak up on me," Rio started, "then you're piss-ass failing. And why are you following me, anyway? I thought I made myself perfectly clear..." She stopped mid-sentence and sighed heavily. "Alright, fine, have it your way. But you better not try any stupid shit. And no more questions. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, brushing her off. She blew some smoke in his face before turning around and heading over to a dark red motorcycle. He coughed a little from her second hand smoke, but didn't complain about it. He didn't want to hear anymore of her own complaining on how much of a 'little boy' or 'pansy ass' he was. Rio put on her motorcycle helmet and climbed onto her Yamaha. Hwoarang sat behind her and pulled his goggles down over his eyes. The machine revved to life and sped down the road, heading off to an abandoned lot near the city limits. There was a large group of guys leaning on their own motorcycles, talking to girls dressed like whores and passing around blunts. A pathway opened up when the men heard Rio's Yamaha roar into the lot. She slowed her bike to a halt and pulled off her helmet as some of the men approached her. Two of them were quite bruised, both all bloody, like they were recently involved in a brawl. Hwoarang's eyes narrowed a little to get a closer look at the two. "Wait a minute..."

One of the two bruised men immediately recognized Hwoarang and stumbled back. "B-boss!" he yelled, pointing at him with a shaking arm. "T-t-that's the guy! He's the one who jumped us! The Blood Talon did this!" Hwoarang raised an eyebrow at them, also recognizing them. He'd beaten them, along with one other unfortunate soul, into the ground earlier that day. Right before he met-

"Yeah, shut up!" Rio yelled at him, her voice growing louder with each word. "I know he did it. And I don't give a damn. If you two weren't stupid enough to challenge the Blood Talon in the first place, you wouldn't look how you do now! So don't complain to me about how your ego's got an owwie!" She stomped down hard, causing the men before her to shudder.

"S-sorry, boss..."

Hwoarang's eyes flickered between Rio and the men before it finally clicked in his head. "Hold on. You mean...YOU'RE these ass wipes' alpha?"

Rio crossed her arms. "Well, duh! Didn't you see my Yamaha?" He glanced back at her motorcycle, now seeing what she meant. Painted on the motorcycle fairings were two black vines with thorns spurring out from all ends. The vine ended underneath a black rose, with a few petals painted to fall off the bloom. The design matched the one painted onto her helmet, too. She was the the leader of his rival gang. She was the Iron Rose.

"Wait a sec, boss," one of her other underlings started. "Why'd you bring the Blood Talon here?"

"Because I felt like it!" The guys slinked down in fear, and Hwoarang couldn't help but to laugh a little. They were scared shitless of her. "Now get out of my sight until you grow some balls!" The bruised men frantically nodded and left her presence. Hwoarang's laughing ceased when the information about Rio finally sunk in. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by his rival. "Okay, asshole, you feel like you know enough about me? Or do I need to beat the questions around you?" Hwoarang remembered how she'd threatened him before. And since she usually followed through with her threats, for once, he thought it would be best to keep his mouth shut. "Good." She got back onto her Yamaha and put on her helmet, yelling to Hwoarang, "Hurry up and get your ass on here before I leave you behind! I haven't got all night!" Having no other choice, he growled under his breath and did as she ordered him to. He'd get her back one day. He just needed to find an opening, or possibly a weakness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello people, it's ~Infernal Blossom again. I hope you're all enjoying the re-write of **_**Blood and Iron**_** so far.**

**So who else is looking forward to **_**Tekken Tag Tournament 2**_**? I know I am! Can't wait to beat people down with my main man Hwoarang, awesomely acrobatic Lili and the pure elegance that is Lee. I really love that Lili and Leo are speaking their native languages now. It makes me wonder what my OCs would look like in TTT2. Looks like I've got some new things to draw: their official T6 and TTT2 character posters!**

**But for now, let's get on with the show.**

Hwoarang hadn't gotten much sleep that night. He was too busy thinking about Rio. How she just turned up out of thin air, how she acted like she owned the whole damned world...and how she turned out to be possibly the toughest fighter the streets of Seoul had ever encountered. At first glance, he could immediately tell she was on a different page from most fighters he'd been up against. There was something about her he couldn't comprehend. The black haired woman had, what seemed to be, a sort of burning passion in those hazel eyes of hers. But it wasn't like those fiery flickers he'd seen in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. No, hers had a...unique quality to it. Just what exactly that 'quality' was, he couldn't pinpoint. And that pissed him off to no end. Hwoarang hated to be left in the dark, especially when it had even a little bit to do with himself.

The look in her eyes wasn't the only thing bothering him. He'd only just met her, and Hwoarang already hated Rio with a passion. He hadn't felt this kind of burning hatred for someone since after the previous tournament, when Jin transformed into that monstrosity and nearly killed him. That gave him a grudge he'd hold forever. At least he lived far from Jin. But Rio? It wasn't like he could stay away from her for very long. She trained at his dojang, was the leader of his rival gang... For all he knew, she probably lived in the apartment next to his! If he had to hear her call him 'pansy ass' or 'little boy' one more time...

The red headed man sank his face into his hands and took a deep breath. "Get ahold of yourself, man," he muttered sleepily to himself. "You're thinking nonsense. She just caught you with your guard down, is all. It'll all be better once you get a grip." Hwoarang spent a few more minutes calming himself down before he rolled out of bed to start his day. He could see small bursts of sunlight trying to peek through the closed blinds that covererd his bedroom window. Morning already. And by the sound of the traffic in the street below, late morning.

Then he suddenly remembered something umportant. "Ah, shit..." Some friends of his had flown in, and he was supposed to meet up with them at the Chongdong Theatre at around noon. Hwoarang glanced at the clock. 11:25. He groaned and smacked his hand to his face, realizing he only had a half hour to haul his ass out of bed, get ready and head downtown. After a quick shower and breakfast, the sienna eyed man threw on some clothes and went for the door. He reached for the doorknob, but turned back to his bedroom. Almost forgot the goggles. Hwoarang grabbed his motorcycle goggles and put them on around his forehead, pushing his flaming hair back and heading out.

Hwoarang, luckily, had made it to the theatre just in time. His friends were already there, pacing and waiting impatiently. The Korean man ran up to them, yelling "Yo, assholes!" to them. He stopped in front of the two to catch his breath.

"Took you long enough, man! We were beginning to question if you'd show or not."

The man on the left had blond hair slicked back and blue eyes. The top few buttons of his white collared shirt were undone, the bottom half draped over a pair of red pants. The one on his right was a slightly younger looking guy. He had messy light brown hair and blue-gray eyes, his right having a scar on it. Around his neck was a dogtag necklace with a picture of a phoenix embossed on it. He wore a tan vest zipped halfway up, a short sleeved slate shirt and some faded jeans.

"Sorry, guys," Hwoarang apologized. "Had a late night and woke up late."

Steve smirked and leaned over to his friend, lightly elbowing his side. "You hear that, Sean? Hwoarang had a late night. Sounds like a fun night, if you ask me."

"So, Hwoarang," Sean started asking in his heavy Irish accent, "what'd you do last night that you woke up late? Would it have something to do with a girl?" Steve and Sean began laughing loudly, leaving Hwoarang to roll his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny." Hwoarang punched them both in their arms and stopped their laughter, hearing simultaneous 'owws' come out of their mouths. "So how long were you guys waiting for me?" Sean opened his mouth to answer, only to have a growling sound come out instead. The sienna eyed man rolled his eyes again, and he couldn't help but to smile a bit. Of course his Irish friend would be hungry. It _was_ Sean, after all. It was expected for him to either be hungry or drunk. And seeing how he was sober, it had to be the first option. "Maybe we should eat before you go all cannibal on us."

The teenager's face flushed at the comment. "Hey, it's not my fault the hotel food is crap."

"Yeah, yeah. Use all the excuses you want," Steve told him. The trio decided to head to a local restaurant for a nice meal and some catching up. The boxer and Judo fighter were eager to tell their friend about what had happened a few weeks before their arrival to South Korea. As they walked down the street, they began discussing the upcoming tournement. All three were preparing to head to the top and win it all.

"So, Sean..." Hwoarang snickered, "Ready to see Lili again?"

Sean's face immediately went red as his friends began laughing hysterically. "T-t-that's NOT funny!" he stammered, struggling to get the words out of his mouth. In the previous tournament, the Judo student met Lili Rochefort, the heiress to Rochefort Oil Industries. He had the power to beat her, but ended up losing to the blond haired girl for one simple reason. He'd fallen madly in love with Lili the moment his eyes caught sight of her, and froze up when facing her. Upon finding out, Steve and Hwoarang would constantly bother him about it. Not only that, but his master, Paul Phoenix, wouldn't let him live it down unti he either beat her in battle or got the guts to ask her out. "Don't even joke about that!" Lucky for Sean, they'd reached the restaurant and quickly forgot about taunting their young friend.

Inside the restaurant, the trio took their seats. "So what'd you guys want to tell me?" Hwoarang asked the two Europeans. They'd been so eager to tell them about what they called 'the incident from hell'.

"It was crazy, man!" Steve started. "I was in a small boxing match and Sean came to watch. Nothing really big, just one to keep the fans from thinking about the shit going down outside. Then after the match, Sean introduces me to this crazy chick. I'm not gonna lie, she had an amazing body, but she was SCARY. Didn't she, Sean?" The Irish teen nodded in agreement as Steve continued. "Hwoarang, I bet you'd never seen a girl with curves like hers before. She had all the perfect measurements. I thought I was about to-" He stopped when he realized he had begun to make curves with his hands. "...Anyway, Sean introduced me to her and said she was studying different fighting styles. And then she asked to fight against me. Of course, I was happy to oblige..." Steve pulled Hwoarang's collar in and whispered in his ear. "But that's because I didn't know that I was fighting a demon."

"A demon?" Hwoarang raised an eyebrow. "The hell do you mean, a demon? Fighting a chick couldn't have been THAT bad."

Sean now had on the same frightened expression as Steve. "He's telling the truth. She beat both of us down. I don't have any idea how she countered me! She's never seen me fight as far as I know!" He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "So anyway, how have things been with you?"

Hwoarang leaned back in his chair, tapping on the table. "Things WERE good...until this crazy bitch suddenly appeared out of the blue and started acting like she owned the fucking world. The weird part is that she's been training at my dojang for over a decade without me having any idea about it. And I wouldn't be as mad about it if she didn't turn out to be a PMSing cat stomper who led my rival gang." He huffed and leaned back in his chair, and their waitress finally arrived. She handed out the menus and pulled out a pad and pen.

"What can I get you?" The three guys instantly froze at the sound of the voice. They all looked up and saw Rio, who now had a slightly surprised look on her face. "Oh, great. It's you three. Just what I needed on my first day back at work." She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"You WORK here?" her fellow student asked, which earned him a long groan and an impatient foot tapping. He took a moment to look her up and down. She had on a white button down shirt with sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and loose black pants. She looked completely different without her street clothes on. "...So you're going to be our waitress...?"

Rio nodded impatiently. "Yes, now hurry up and order before I leave you." She glanced at the other two for a second. "I see the three stooges know each other." Hwoarang turned to Steve and Sean.

"You guys met before?"

Steve nodded, looking a little more frightened than before. "SHE'S the one who beat the crap out of us!" He backed his chair against the wall, trying to keep as far away from her as possible.

"Relax, pansy ass. I'm not going to hurt you." He started calming down a bit. "God, what's wrong with you?"

"You're REALLY asking that?" Sean interrupted. "You beat us up the first time we met! How could you expect us not to be scared shitless?"

The black haired woman grit her teeth slightly. "Please, it's not my fault you two suck ass. You wouldn't make it past the first round if you entered the tournament."

Sean scoffed, remembering how she'd beaten him and Steve. "Hey, we...took it easy on you."

"Sure you did." Rio crossed her arms. "...Who are you two again?" She snapped her fingers, trying to remember. "Oh, that's right. Steve Fox and Sean Pinochet, right?" She sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. Just tell me later. Now are you three going to order or not?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo. It's your **_**Tekken**_** fanatic, Infernal Blossom. Remember, guys, I don't own **_**Tekken**_**. I only wish I worked directly under Harada-sama so I could my two OCs into a remake of **_**Tekken 6**_** and **_**Tekken Tag Tournament 2**_**.**

**Speaking of the upcoming game of awesomeness, I just heard Christie's new Portuguese voice. And DAYUM, it's weird xD It makes me a little afraid to hear Eddy's new voice. And I'm very surprised that Zafina and Lei Wulong have kept their English voices, and that Nina and Anna sound nowhere near Irish. It sounds like Julia's voice has changed a bit, too. Ah well. As long as Hwoarang and Lee still sound sexy – which they DO!**

**Thanks, once again, to Inky Battlefield for being an awesome sport and putting on the persona of an obnoxious dick to help me out with all my stories. And just so you know, I'm going by the US dollar equivalent to Korean won. It's worth less than a dollar. :/**

**Let us move onward!**

"Well...? Are you ordering something or not?"

The trio snapped out of their trances and went back to being frightened. "Uhh...one moment," Hwoarang told her. He huddled the guys in a small circle and they started whispering to each other. "Okay, what the hell? I had NO idea she worked here!" He growled under his breath, muttering, "Shit...I only thought I'd have to deal with her at the dojang..."

"You mean you KNOW this girl too?" Sean whisper-yelled at him. "What the hell, man!"

"Don't look at me! I just met her yesterday! She...beat me up, too..."

Steve slammed his palm in his face. The guys quickly looked back at Rio for a second. She was growing more and more agitated. They shivered and went back to their small circle to whisper some more. "Tch, I don't have time for this!" Rio yelled at them. "Just call me back when you're ready." She turned around and quickly headed for the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks, though, when she heard the voices of several men. "Great...it just gets better and better..." The trio watched Rio grumble and walk over to where the sound came from. Why did she get a job that constitutes serving people if she hated people in the first place?

When Rio made it to the table, she saw five Tekken Force soldiers, helmets off, all talking loudly and laughing obnoxiously. She took a deep breath and handed out the menus to the men. "What can I get you gentlemen to drink?" she asked them.

The five men eyed her like a hooker on the street corner. "Hey, all that ass and a sweet voice to go with it!" one of them yelled to her, followed by a wolf whistle in her direction. "How about you give me a drink from those huge tits of yours, huh?" He pulled out a large wad of money and slapped her chest with it. "Is this enough for a good time, baby?"

"Very funny," the Korean woman growled at them, tightening her fists around her pen, "I highly suggest you look at your menu and actually order something."

"Oh, I'll order, alright. I'll have some hot sex with a side of that sweet ass!" The men blew mocking kisses at her, and one of them took his fork and threw it onto the floor. He pointed down at it and yelled, "Now pick that up for me, bitch." Rio really wanted to snap the soldier's neck and teach his friends the same lesson, but she knew her waitressing job would be in jeopardy if she did so much as throw a kick. Against her deepest desires, she bent down to pick up the fork, now gritting her teeth. Just as she reached for the utensil, she felt a hand touch her behind. The Tekken Force soldier who'd thrown his fork down was now smacking and squeezing her, like she was some kind of cheap skank who would do anything for a shiny coin. "You like that, don't you, sweety?" he asked her, suddenly pulling her closer.

Across the room, Hwoarang, Steve and Sean had been watching the scene the entire time. "What the hell is she doing?" the Korean man cursed under his breath. "She can easily fight off those guys. So why is she letting them humiliate her like that?"

"Dude," Sean answered, "those guys are Tekken Force. They'll blow her head off if she even thinks of doing anything to piss them off." Steve nodded in agreement. "For now, it's best if she lays low until they're unarmed-"

"Fuck that!" Hwoarang interrupted him. "Yo, Rio!" He got her attention and beckoned for her to come closer. As she went toward the trio, the soldier that had been getting all touchy-feely with her smacked her behind again, this time with a spoon. Rio growled loudly and ran to the group. "The hell's wrong with you, Rio? Why are you taking their shit?"

Rio crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to deal with you right now, pansy ass. I have to deal with those assholes over there." Hwoarang grabbed her wrist, indicating she wasn't allowed to leave without giving an explanation. "Look, it's not like I'm doing this out of enjoyment. The only reason they haven't been castrated yet is because I'm on the clock."

"So you're just gonna let them harass you like that?"

" I CANNOT risk losing my job! Until I either get filthy rich somehow or a better job, I'm stuck dealing with crap like this for only 15,000 won an hour. Now if you'll excuse me..." She snatched her hand away and went to the front counter to get five glasses of water, which she brought back to the soldiers.

"What took you so long, sweety?" the soldier closest to her asked. "My boys and I were beginning to wonder where our hot piece of ass went." Rio groaned and served the men their water. "Aww, what's wrong? Your face is turning all red." He leaned toward her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "You need someone to cool you down, sweet cheeks? Here, let me take care of that for you..." He chuckled darkly and splashed her chest with his glass of water. It soaked right through her shirt and into her bra. And to make matters worse, it was very cold, which made her skin show through even more. "There, you should be nice and cool now. So how about you thank me with a kiss and a night in your bed?"

That was the final straw. Rio tightened her fists as much as she could and pulled her arm back. She didn't care whether or not she'd get fired anymore. She'd rather bite her tongue and drown in her own blood than deal with another second of this bullshit. Rio slid her foot back a bit and got ready to knock out the soldier who'd fondled her...

Until she felt a pair of hands grab her arm, keeping her from giving the soldier what he deserved. Rio looked behind her and saw Sean holding onto her. "I think now would be a good time to take you break," he told her in a stern voice. "If you're not around, they can't hold you responsible for anything."

"He's right," Steve added, cracking his knuckles. "You wouldn't want to risk your job, right? Leave these bastards to us. You just go dry yourself off." The guys and Rio had a short stare down before she sighed heavily and gave in to them. For once, she would let someone else handle the situation for her.

Rio gathered herself together and headed for the back room to change her top. She'd get those soldiers back for how they treated her, one way or another. In the meantime, the trio got ready for a three on five brawl. This would truly be one they'd never forget.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey people. Your **_**Tekken**_** otaku, Infernal Blossom. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Thanks again to my dear friend **_**Inky Battlefield**_** for being so awesome and helping me out with all my stories. The events of last chapter were an idea I just got yesterday. Ah, I should brainstorm before trying to write something a LOT more often.**

**P.S.: I don't know any Korean swear words. Anyone care to lend me some? xD**

**Anyway, let's skip this petty talk. More **_**Blood and Iron**_** for the fans!**

"Hey... Look, boys!" one of the Tekken soldiers yelled, rising to his feet. "A couple o' kids wanna play with us!" The soldiers behind him followed in laughter as he put a hand on Hwoarang's shoulder. "Listen, son. I suggest you run on home and go back to your video games before you get yourself in a whole lotta trouble-"

His voice ceased when his cheek was met with a hard back fist. "You Zaibatsu bastards better get your asses out of here if you know what's good for you!" the red haired man yelled back. One of the other Tekken Force members went to stand but Sean kicked his chair out from under him before he could, then slamming his face in the table to knock him unconscious. "Nice one." The rest of the soldiers got up from their seats and took a fighting stance. "I'm gonna go check on Rio. Can you two handle the rest of these ass wipes?" Steve and Sean nodded, and Hwoarang ran off to the back room of the restaurant.

"You kids really don't know who you're messing with..." One of the remaining soldiers went out to reach for his gun but was stopped by an uppercut from Steve, which knocked him out instantly.

"Nah, we kind of do." Steve shook his fist out and turned his attention back to the conscious soldiers just in time to avoid being hit with a jab to the throat. He caught the soldier's arm and pulled him in, catching his jaw with a strong hook punch. The soldier stumbled backward until he hit the wall and was knocked out. "Last one's yours, mate," the British man called out to his friend.

Sean nodded to him and eyed the last standing Force soldier. "Still think we're just some kids?" He grabbed the soldier by the side of his torso and arm, and smirked. Sean lifted the soldier with ease and threw him over his shoulder, hitting a nearby table. "Whoops... Probably should've thought about that before doing it." He glanced over to the front desk and saw the owner, whose eyes were wide with shock. "Uh...yeah, I'll pay for that," he finally said after a few moments of silence. Steve immediately started laughing hysterically.

While the two of them took care of the mess in the dining hall, Hwoarang found his way to the employee locker room. He'd seen how the Tekken Force soldiers had acted toward Rio, and he wanted to make sure their sexual harassment hadn't mentally scarred her. "Rio?" he shouted. "Yo, where are you?" Hwoarang then heard a grumbling sound coming from around the corner. From the sound of it, that was definitely her. He went to round the corner and try to calm her down. "Hey, you oka-" Hwoarang's eyes narrowed for a second, then immediately widened, and he went back behind the wall and poked his head out slightly to see what was going on, quieting his voice. Rio had not only taken off her wet shirt, but her bra as well. The only thing covering her chest was a small hand towel, which she had to take off and wring out once already and was currently wringing out a second time. Had she known this were to happen, she would've brought a larger one. Her back was to the wall Hwoarang was hiding behind, so she didn't see him. She could have heard him calling to her, but she was too busy looking for some spare clothes and swearing loudly in English and Korean to do so.

"Those fucking lunatics!" she yelled to herself. "Why do I ALWAYS get stuck with serving people like THEM? There are other waiters! But NOOOO, they want the one with the 'big tits' and the 'sweet ass'! UGH!" Rio growled, pulling out some spare clothes from her locker. "And now, because of them, my entire shirt and bra are wet and I have to change! What a GREAT fucking way to spend my fucking break!" The Korean woman took several deep breaths to calm herself and set down the towel. She picked up the black bra sitting beside her and started to put it on. "Now I'm stuck using this back-up bra made for a prostitute..." She hooked it on one of the eyes, and the eye snapped off. "FUCK!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "I forgot this shit's too small..." The bra would only stay on if she hooked it on the last opening, which she had no choice but to do. As she finished putting the bra on and continued cursing – now in Japanese and Korean – Hwoarang couldn't help but to notice something other than her now slightly shiny skin. All across her upper back and shoulders were a collection of dark scars. There were quite a few of them – some resembling deep scrapes, others looking very close to scars from knife fights, and a few small circular ones. A few of them stood out more than others. One was a long, thin line running from her shoulder blade up to the edge of her shoulder. But the most prominent of them all was the one on her upper right arm. It looked almost as if a small portion of her flesh had been either cut or pulled off, and left to be a permanent dip in her skin.

And then she spun around, now facing Hwoarang's direction but still not noticing his presence. The sienna eyed man's expression went from curiosity to a mix of embarrassment and excitement. He now had the perfect chance to closely examine her chest; he hadn't been hoping to be able to glance upon it, but hey, he loved a woman's chest. There were more scars on her upper chest and arms, but he felt those would be better saved for another time. His eyes narrowed once more when he quickly looked up at Rio. She was still too busy grumbling and cursing in her thought to notice him, so he was in the clear. His sights came back to her chest, which was still a little wet from the water. If he had to guess, he'd say she had at least a C-cup chest, but the small bra made them look bigger. Hwoarang licked his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. He also felt a knot beginning to form in his stomach. '_Get a grip, man,_' he thought to himself. '_Remember, she can kick your ass in the blink of an eye._'

The knot only tightened further when she picked up the already dampened towel and went to dry off the rest of her chest. She shivered a little when the towel touched her skin, and a groan escaped her lips. "Why me?" she whispered to herself. Hwoarang couldn't hear a word she said, though. He was occupied with watching the wet cloth slide across each of her breasts, making them glisten in the dim light more than before. He bit down hard on his bottom lip, feeling his heart beat faster against the walls of his chest. Hwoarang had to force himself to swallow before he started to drool like a dog eyeing a steak. How could she just sit there and nonchalantly rub her chest with a wet towel? She wouldn't be doing it if she knew he was in her presence...but he didn't want to think about that. Rio had gone back to taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself. Much to Hwoarang's lustful wants, it just made her chest move even more, letting it glisten more in the light. He tried to imagine how they would feel in his hands – soft? Firm? A mixture of both? The thought of it made his stomach twist up. He bit down harder and tightened his fist, glancing at the floor and trying to find a way to relieve his erotic desires while still keeping his cover and not taking her right there. '_Great, now I'm imagining having sex with her..._' Now a new thought entered his mind, and he couldn't get rid of this one that easily. '_What the hell's wrong with me? I just met this chick! AND she's a total psychopathic bitch! Why would I want to sleep with her?_' He took a quick peek up to Rio again. She was still wiping her chest with the damp towel, still breathing so they moved only slightly. More knots formed in his stomach, quickly moving down to his groin. '_Shit, not now... This would be the WORST time for that to happen!_' Hwoarang went to quietly stand up and make a run for it before the situation started to get out of hand...

Except that things didn't exactly go his way. Hwoarang managed to stand up without making a sound, but when he spun around to run out, the heel of his boot hit one of the lockers, causing a loud echo throughout the entire room. "FUCK!" Hwoarang yelled. Rio immediately heard the sound and Hwoarang's voice, and rose to her feet, heading toward the corner. Before the red haired man could do so much as take a step, his training partner had him by his hair and was dragging him to the showers, throwing him against one of the walls.

"What are you doing in here, pansy ass?" She yelled at him. "Well?"

"Uhh...you see..." Hwoarang tried to think of an excuse, any kind that was believable. "I just came here to make sure you were okay, and, uhh..." The thoughts from before now invaded his mind, and his sentences became broken and full of babble. He tried to shake them from his mind, but they wouldn't leave. All he could see was Rio's body underneath his, drenched in sweat, tightening around his body...

Rio growled at him. "The hell you were!" She then caught him eyeing her chest, or so she thought, and covered herself up with her arms. "You perv!" Her entire face turned a deep red and launched a kick straight to his groin.

Immediately upon impact, Hwoarang fell to the ground and held onto his now swollen pride. "Dammit, Rio!" His voice was now high pitched and shrieking, the dirty thoughts now gone from his mind. "What the...fuck...!" Within a minute or two, he succumbed to the pain and passed out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiya! Infernal Blossom reporting once more. I hope you're all enjoying the new **_**Blood and Iron**_** so far. I've made sure to change up the story to make it as interesting as possible for you all.**

**Once again, I'm encouraging you all to predict what will happen. Who knows? You may give me a good idea~**

**So now, it's time to FINALLY bring in some more characters, starting with...**

_Hwoarang was panting heavily, trying to regain his lost breath. His eyes trailed down to the unconscious opponent behind him, and a smirk worked its way across his face. He'd finally done it. The Korean man had finally managed to take down Jin Kazama, the one person he could only manage to fight to a draw. They now knew who was the stronger fighter. His smirk grew wider and he began to laugh. "What'd I tell you, Kazama?" he began to boast. "You didn't think I'd beat you, but I did! I took you down, fair and square! And you know what else? I get to advance in the tournament, while you go home and wallow in the pride you don't have!" Hwoarang started pacing the floor as he continued on. "So what happens now, huh? Well, I'll tell ya! You-" His voice fell silent when he heard a low growling behind him. He looked back at Jin to find his rival standing up. But something was off about him. When did Jin get those chains on his arms? And since he was on the subject of looking strangely different, why were tattoos appearing on his skin?_

_Jin glanced up at his opponent, allowing Hwoarang to clearly see his now crystal white eyes. "W-what the hell?" As suddenly as he'd risen from the ground, the Japanese man let out an ear shattering paranormal roar, and a gale blew all around. Hwoarang was sent back a few feet from the large gust. He shielded his face from the oncoming wind, trying to understand what was happening. "Kazama!" he yelled to his rival. The wind began to die down, and the tae kwon do fighter lowered his arm. He could barely believe what he saw. Horns were now protruding from the sides of Jin's head, and black feathered wings had sprouted from his back. Jin slowly turned in his direction. He should've ran while he had the chance. In less than a split second Jin let out another roar and flew straight for Hwoarang. He reached out his now clawed gauntlet hand and caught Hwoarang by his throat, and soared into the air with his prey. The young Korean was gasping for air, feeling Jin's grip slowly tightening around his throat and asphyxiation beginning to set in. "Ka...za...ma..." He tried to force out words, but the pressure on his throat was too great. Then as quickly as Jin had grabbed him, he threw his prey down to the ground. Hwoarang crashed into the empty field and was unconscious for the slightest second. He immediately sat up and coughed, regaining his lost air. "Bastard..." The redhead felt a sharp stinging travel through his entire left arm. The impact had definitely shattered a bone or two. He stumbled onto his feet and looked up. Was that really Jin up there? No, Jin wasn't that type of person. Only a demon could do sprout wings and fly. It couldn't be him..._

_Before he could answer, Jin went to attack again. He veered his head back and swung it down toward Hwoarang, sending down a large red laser. "You can't be serious!" Hwoarang yelled as he rolled out of the way of the attack. Jin swooped down and continued to assault his opponent, never once taking his eyes off of him. Within a few minutes, Hwoarang's body had been hit and beaten countless times. He had bruises all over, his right leg and a few ribs had been broken, and lacerations covered most of his now torn skin. He could barely get away from Jin when he reached to his head and gradually pulled him up from the ground, his claws digging into his jaw and face. Their eyes met once more. Jin still had the same look, the same masochistic blood lusting look. A cackle escaped from the demon's lips curved upward as his grip tightened further. Hwoarang began to shake a little. He normally wasn't one to fear anything, but right now he feared for his life. This Jin Kazama was out to kill him. The cackling started to fade, as did the sight of the white eyes, as Hwoarang slipped into a longer period of unconsciousness..._

His eyes flashed open. He couldn't see anything at first; his view was extremely clouded. But he could hear a familiar voice in the background. "You alright, man?" Rubbing his eyes to clear his view, Hwoarang realized that he was in the back of a car. He pushed himself into a sitting position and saw Sean giving him a worried look. "Damn, you started to scare us a little. We were beginning to wonder if she kicked you too hard."

"Kicked too hard...?" And then he remembered how Rio blatantly gave him a swift shot to the crotch, which was so bad it caused him to pass out. Thinking about it made it sting a little. Hwoarang grit his teeth and looked over to the driver's seat where he saw Rio, with Steve sitting beside her on the passenger side. "Hey, bitch!" he yelled to her.

Rio glanced up at her rear view mirror for a moment, seeing Hwoarang staring back with a deep scowl. "I see you're finally awake," she said to him, returning her gaze to the road. "Here's some advice. Next time, don't offer your help to me, or you might end up like this again." Steve swung his head around to his friend.

"Great to see you're still in one piece, mate." Hwoarang rolled his eyes and sat back, fastening his seat belt. "You've been out for an hour or two."

"So where's the bitch driving us?"

"Your place," Sean replied. "You said you wanted us to stay with you while we're here, so we're driving to your apartment now. We already picked up our belongings."

The Korean man raised an eyebrow. "And Rio offered to drive us?" He changed his tone to sound more sarcastic. "That's amazing. I had no idea she was so kind and giving."

She groaned loud enough to get his attention. "You better not start anything, pansy ass. I can dump your ass out of this car faster than you can blink, so I suggest you shut it. You're lucky I even bothered to remember where you live." Her attention was pulled away from the argument when she hit some slow moving traffic. "Great... Steve, would you mind?"

"No problem," he answered. Steve opened his window and poked his head out to get a view of the road ahead. He pulled himself back in after just a few second, looking concerned. "I'm afraid it's bad news, guys. The Tekken Force has set up a blockade. And from the looks of it, they're checking all vehicles passing through."

"You gotta be kidding me," Sean complained. "More of them? We just dealt with five guys. Now we have to fight through more of them?"

Rio's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Just calm yourselves, you idiots. They've got no reason to impound my car or take us into custody. So just relax and we'll pass through, alright?" Everyone took a deep breath as the car moved up to the blockade.

One of the Tekken Force soldiers tapped on the driver's window, motioning for her to roll it down. "Vehicle inspection," he told her.

Rio rolled her eyes and did as she was told without arguing. Everyone silently got out of the car and let the soldiers go forth with their inspection. While their car was being searched, Rio lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it, carefully watching each of the soldiers. If there were fewer of them, maybe six unarmed men at the most, she would've beaten them to a bloody pulp. As she scanned over each of the officers, her eyes froze when she caught sight of one specific soldier. He was dark skinned, with mid-length dreads tied back. "Eddy Gordo...?" she said to herself. She'd had brief contact with him and his student while on a worldwide study on different fighting styles. What was he doing here, with the Tekken Force? Rio took a last puff from her cigarette before putting it out and walking over to the Brazilian man. "Hey, what exactly are you searching my car for?"

Eddy heard her voice and marched toward her. He remembered seeing her a year before, learning about Capoeira from himself and Christie. "We're making sure that all vehicles passing contain nothing that could be a potential threat to Jin Kazama or the Mishima Zaibatsu. It's just regulation."

"Just regulation?" Rio rolled her eyes at him and groaned. "Do I LOOK like the type of person who would carry a 'potential threat' in my car?" The guys heard her voice volume raise a little and shook their heads. She couldn't go five minutes without causing a problem, huh?

Eddy sighed. He didn't want to deal with this right now. There were other cars waiting to pass. "Yes, considering that you're so defensive. Cut the sarcasm, before it ends up being more than a simple search. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"All clear," one of his subordinates called out. Rio turned her glare away from Eddy and went to join the guys back in the car, pulling away shortly after.

"The hell was that for?" Steve questioned her once they were nearing Hwoarang's place. "I thought you told us to keep a level head."

Rio took a deep breath to calm herself. "You don't need to remind me. I just lost my cool for a second. I hate having my things searched through, especially by Tekken Force members."

Sean pat her shoulder, trying to relax her more. "Relax, Rio. Loosen up a bit. It's not like you've got anything to hide, right?" Her muscles tensed a bit at the question, causing her foot to hit the gas pedal a bit harder than usual. "Woah! I said relax, not floor it!" Her muscles relaxed once more and she regained control of her foot pressure. "My god, what's with you today?"

"Nothing, now shut it." She pulled over to the curb and cut the car's engine. "We're here. Get your shit and get out." The guys shot her a disapproving look as they exited the car, Steve and Sean getting their luggage from the trunk, and headed up to Hwoarang's apartment.

"Here we are," Hwoarang started as he swung open the door. "Welcome home, boys. Find a spot to crash." Within a matter of seconds, the three guys had dumped their things and settled in like they hadn't moved in days. Rio leaned against a wall corner and watched, feeling like high-tailing it back to her place. She went for the door, but stopped when she heard her training partner beckon to her. "Where are you going? You just got here. Sit down, relax. Grab something from the fridge." Rio sighed and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Hwoarang.

"Look, I only came here to drop off you three stooges. I didn't come to hang out with you guys, or anything close to that, or..." The three fighter gave her blank stares and tuned out her excuses. She caught wind of this and gave up. "Fine, you win. But I'm only staying for a few minutes, got it?"

Hwoarang shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me." He turned on the television and stood up, walking over to the kitchen. "Anyone want a beer?" he asked. Sean immediately rose his hand, followed by Steve and eventually Rio. He wondered for a moment if he should really give Sean one. He was only nineteen, after all. But he remembered how the judo fighter fit the general stereotype of an Irish man, and decided it was perfectly fine. Hwoarang came back to the group and handed out the drinks, taking his place next to Rio. "So what's on tonight?" Steve nudged his chin toward the television. A reporter was standing several feet from the blockade they'd stopped at.

"_...And it seems that this is only the beginning of the Mishima Zaibatsu's takeover of South Korea."_ That one line was all it took for everyone's eyes to widen. Jin had finally made the decision to send his army to Korea, starting with its heart, Seoul. The room fell dead silent as another news report began.

"_In other news today, a candlelit memorial has begun in downtown Seoul to commemorate the thirteenth anniversary of the downfall of Ayaka Corporation, Korea's former largest international business. The president of the Korean Republic placed a wreath of flowers on the Han River in memory of Ayaka Corp.'s CEO and his family. Exactly thirteen years ago today, Dan Ayaka, along with his wife Hyun and their ten year old daughter, were horrifically assassinated by an unknown group of mercenaries. The company was then taken over by Heihachi Mishima, then head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Since that fateful day, there have been many attempts to retrieve ownership of the company to the Ayaka family's relatives, all which have failed."_ A picture was shown of the late Ayaka family, standing in the CEO's office, all smiling.

Sean and Steve's faces both showed horror. "I had no idea..." Sean started. "The Zaibatsu's THAT competitive? What's wrong with these people?" He'd become enraged when he heard about Lili's father losing his oil fields to the Zaibatsu, but murder was way more than a step out of line.

"_This just in!"_ the reporter suddenly shouted on screen. _"I've just received word that G Corporation is about to make a worldwide announcement. We now bring you live to the G Corporation entrance."_ The camera switched to a live feed of a swarm of journalists, translators and reporters standing in front of the headquarters. A podium stood in front of the doors, covered in dozens of microphones. The doors opened and three people stepped out before the crowd.

Everyone in the room froze as Kazuya Mishima went toward the podium. Anna Williams, his personal bodyguard, stood to his left, and Bruce Irvin to his right. All the gathered media came in closer to get a better view, holding up their equipment. _"As all the world has seen,"_ Kazuya began to explain, _"the Mishima Zaibatsu is out to claim the entire planet as its own. And at what cost? It has become apparent that Jin Kazama will stop at nothing, be it the fall of a country's government or the loss of an entire population, to have everything in his grasp. I for one will not stand for such an atrocity. It is time that someone stands up the Zaibatsu and fight for the freedom of the world, our freedom. I have decided to take up that task, to become the world's savior. Today is only the beginning of a long battle to save us all."_ Rio squinted a bit at the television, and noticed that Kazuya now had a sadistic grin plastered on his face. It was very slight, but she saw it. _"Furthermore, I will be offering a $40 million award to the person who brings me Jin Kazama's head."_ All the reporters gasped and whispered in shock. _"If we are going to win this war, we must be sure that he can never again rise against us."_

Kazuya stepped away from the podium and Anna took charge. _"Rest assured, knowing that the thumb of the Zaibatsu will press against you no more. We at G Corporation are the soldiers of the people, and we will crush ALL enemies to those people."_ She shot a smirk at the camera. _"It's time to end this war, once and for all."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, people, it's Infernal Blossom. Hope you're finding the new **_**Blood and Iron**_** better than the first attempt at it. Who knows? Maybe because of the CGI movie **_**Tekken: Blood Vengeance**_** premiering next week and **_**Tekken Tag Tournament 2**_** coming out really soon, my story's popularity will skyrocket a little. Guess it's just a wait and see game for now. And to make sure you guys aren't disappointed (hopefully), my story is following just about everything in the **_**Tekken 6**_** storyline, mainly from Scenario Campaign, as close to the tiniest details as possible.**

**And guess what? I just saw Tekken: Blood Vengeance. I've gotta say, those effects were pretty sick...and Lee was GORGEOUS!**

**And now, time to bring in more characters.**

"_Rest assured, knowing that the thumb of the Zaibatsu will press against you no more. We at G Corporation are the soldiers of the people, and we will crush ALL enemies to those people."_ Anna shot a smirk at the cameras. _"It's time to end this war, once and for all."_

The large television was suddenly paused, the picture of Anna's and Kazuya's devious grins frozen in time. The television was the only source of light in the large, dark office. It shone on the faces of the only two people in the room – one, a blond woman dressed in a skin-tight purple body suit; the other, an expressionless man sitting in a large office chair, resting his cheek against his fist. Nina Williams sighed heavily at her younger sister's words, shaking her head in disbelief. Anna just couldn't resist threatening to get her, couldn't she?

"Looks like G Corporation's made their move," Nina started, crossing her arms and beginning to pace in front of the desk. She expected it, yes, but she still found it hard to believe that Anna wanted to get even with her. She turned to her boss, whom hadn't spoken a word since the news broadcast started.

Jin Kazama stood from his seat and turned off the monitor. "So he tried to up the ante by placing a bounty on me? To be honest, I expected him to do something along those lines. Kazuya always liked to make challenges more exciting." He turned around to look out the window, observing the city nightlife below. "But if he chooses to stand in my way, then so be it." Jin moved away from the glass and headed toward the office doors. "Come, Nina. There are a few preparations we need to do now that Kazuya's decided to join the war."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "What kind of preparations?" Jin remained silent and left his office, heading toward the elevator. As Nina caught up with him, a sudden realization came to her. "_So he's going to make the announcement, huh?_" she asked herself. The Irish woman knew that meant Jin's father would join to take down his son. It also meant there was a chance she'd have to face her own. Nina closed her eyes for a moment, remembering two years ago how she almost killed him. If she had no connection to the boy, pulling the trigger would've been as easy as taking out Anna. Something inside of her prevented her from doing it, though. But what? She never got to experience motherhood or develop a relationship with Steve. Hell, she didn't even know she _had_ a son until seconds before she was supposed to shoot him. So what had prevented her from carrying out her orders, and even now...what made her feel so uneasy about seeing him?

She set those thoughts aside. Thinking about her son was not the current objective. Nina followed Jin through the hallway and into the large elevator. "It's time we began our search for those ruins in Egypt," Jin finally answered after a long silence. "After that, maybe we'll pay Dr. Bosconovitch's lab a visit. He owes me a little present."

Hwoarang, Steve and Sean were a bit worried about Rio. She'd stormed out of Hwoarang's apartment following Kazuya's speech, and she seemed extremely unsettled, and she hadn't answered her phone all night or all morning. They knew her well, though, and figured she'd be training hard at the dojang. The trio went inside and, as suspected, found the Korean woman beating down a punching bag.

"Yo, Rio!" Hwoarang called out to her as he and the guys entered the training area. "You couldn't relax for just one day, could you?"

Rio groaned out loud. "Great, you three again. You couldn't leave me alone for one day, could you?" She threw a few more kicks at the punching bag before stopping for a short break.

Sean rolled his eyes and waved her off, putting on a mocking face. "Yeah, yeah, nice to see you, too. You're just so cuddly today, aren't you?"

"Don't push it, brat. I'm far from being in the mood for any of your crap."

"Clearly," Steve replied. "You've been on an advanced level of 'not to be fucked with' since yesterday. In fact..." The wheels in his head began turning. "You've been like this since that strange newscast popped on last night." Rio froze up upon hearing his words, and the guys noticed quickly. Unfortunately, he was right, but she'd never admit that.

"You know what, Steve? You're right." Hwoarang gave her a questioning stare. What's up with you?"

She shook herself out of her trance and turned back to the punching bag. "None of your business, that's what. I haven't got time to sit down and listen to you interview me. I'm busy. You pansy asses can hang around if you want, so long as you're not in my way." Rio pulled her dobok top over her head and used it to wipe the sweat from her face. She tossed it aside and resumed her training, throwing a set of kicks in the air.

"How about we have a little match, then?" Sean asked her. "Right here, right now. And if you lose, you tell us what we want to know. How's that sound?" Rio sighed and ignored him as she threw another high kick. Sean growled a bit and stormed up to her, catching her foot mid-kick. "We're not making requests anymore. Think of it as 'part of your training', because you're a part of this now."

Steve caught the annoyed look in Rio's eyes and gulped nervously. She'd given him a similar look when she nearly knocked him unconscious the first time they fought. "Uhh...based on past experiences, I'm not so sure that's a wise more."

"Blondie's being smart for once. You should back off, Pinochet."

"And what if I don't?" He got his answer when the hazel eyed woman jumped up and gave him a roundhouse to his face, freeing her leg and sending him stumbling backwards. Sean held onto his face and looked up at her again, glaring a bit.

The boxer winced when Rio's foot collided with his friend's face. "Come on, love. Was that really necessary?"

Rio grew more annoyed and her cheek twitched slightly. "What, you want some too?" The memory of her wrath ran through his mind again and Steve put his hands up in defense. "That's what I thought. You may not be as smart as I originally put you off to be." She cracked her neck on one side and headed for the lockers, but stopped when she heard whistling.

"You didn't forget about me, did you?" Hwoarang asked. Rio reluctantly turned back, seeing him crack his knuckles and shoot a sarcastic smirk her way. "I mean, it wouldn't be fair if my boys got some action but I was left empty handed."

His training partner sighed. "I didn't forget about you. You're just not worth remembering." Hwoarang's smirk changed into a deep scowl as he got into a fighting stance. "Seriously? I haven't got time for your shit. What don't you understand about the words 'back off'?" Steve and Sean also donned their own battle stances and slowly closed in on her. "Fine. If you guys want your bones broken, I'll break them. I could give a crap whether you can walk or not."

The guys exchanged glances and telepathic thoughts with one another before Steve stepped in to face her. He dashed toward her and aimed a punch to her torso, which she blocked with a mid height kick. He continued throwing punches her way, trying to fake her out, but she blocked each one. Steve tucked his arm in and quickly threw it out, hoping to catch her. However, Rio had seen it coming and ducked down right as he pulled his arm into his body, and swept his legs out from under him. Steve started falling backwards and Rio kicked him again, this time a strong one to the stomach, and the boxer went flying into a far off punching bag. Sean immediately sprung into action and grabbed her arm in the small timespan she had her guard down. He spun around and went to throw her over his shoulder, but she managed to land on her feet and held onto him, crescent kicking his face. "You guys never learn, do you?" Rio then turned her attention to Hwoarang. "You next?"

Hwoarang remained silent as he stepped toward her and threw a weak roundhouse. Rio took his bait, catching his kick and kicking his other leg out from under him. He rolled back a bit and spun out from her, kicking her in the face. His opponent stumbled back a bit, holding her jaw. "Don't tell me you're gonna cry now," he complained, dusting himself off. "You'll need to do better than that."

"You'll be the one crying by the time I'm finished with you," the Korean woman retorted. Hwoarang came at her faster and sidestepped, spinning and throwing a back kick her way. Rio crouched right as his leg was coming at her. She wrapped her leg around his and pulled him to the ground, locking him down. She twisted his ankle until he groaned from the pain and tapped his hand frantically on the floor.

"Ahh! Okay! You've made your point! Let go, you crazy bitch!"

"About fucking time." Rio released him and stood up, wiping more sweat and hair from her face. "NOW will you pansies leave me alone?"

Sean stood up after recovering a bit from her kick, holding his face. "Dammit you kick hard... We were only trying to help you, you know."

"You guys want to help me so bad?" she shouted at him. "Stay out of my way and don't start shit with me!" She turned about face and stormed off into the locker room. Just when she went to close the door, Sean snuck up behind her and grabbed her in a secure bear hug. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" Sean carried her out of the locker room and Steve grabbed her legs, preventing her from giving him or the Irish teen a dose of what Hwoarang suffered the day before. Rio flailed around as much as she could, and eventually gave in a few minutes later.

Hwoarang strolled up to her, wincing a bit. She'd locked his leg in real tight. "Are you about done?" He nodded mockingly. "Good. You see, you're gonna talk to us, or we're gonna shake you like a Britney Spears baby. Make a choice."

"Why are you three doing this? I said I didn't want your help!"

"Well, the iron rod that's firmly planted deep in your ass is going to take quite a bit of effort to pull out."

"We're just trying to help you out," Sean added. "Now spill it, or you're gonna catch a catastrophic case of vertigo."

Rio continued to keep quiet. "It's clear that something about the broadcast last night got your blood boiling. We just want to know what and why," Steve told her.

She resisted for a few more second, then groaned and gave up. "...It's just the whole situation," she began. "The war, the Zaibatsu, the whole Ayaka Corp. controversy... And now G's getting involved. That's just what we need. Yet another Mishima blood carrier destroying all of humanity."

"Hold on a second," Hwoarang interrupted. "Ayaka Corporation controversy? You mean that old Japanese and Korean company that worked in genetic and eco-research?" Rio raised an eyebrow, nodding. "What controversy are you talking about? I don't remember hearing anything about it."

Steve and Sean cautiously let go of Rio. She fixed her clothes and hair, and stretched her arms up. "If you were listening to the news last night, you would've heard that the company ended up belonging to the Mishima Zaibatsu after the CEO and his family were killed. The truth is, it should've gone back to the family's closest relatives. But it didn't. Heihachi Mishima bought it out, or so he said." She began pacing the floor in front of them, going deep in thought.

"Then why didn't anyone question it?" Sean questioned. "If the company was supposed to go to the family, shouldn't a higher authority have stepped in to resolve the issue?"

Rio looked back up at the trio. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Truth is, no higher authority could get them to relinquish Ayaka Corporation's assets to its rightful owner." Her voice then ceased. "...I've already said too much." She went to go past them, but Hwoarang grabbed her hand.

"You still haven't explained why you were so on edge." Rio growled at him and quickly released herself, twisting his arm a bit. He pulled back from the sharp pinching and she ran into the locker room, securing the door shut behind her. Hwoarang started to bang his fist on the door. "We're not finished yet! Got out here!" he yelled. He got no answer and banged on the door one last time before giving up and walking away with the guys following behind. She's definitely hiding something from us..." he mumbled.

The uptight Korean woman had, yet again, made a quick run from the trio. They would've followed her if she hadn't snuck out the back door without their knowing. And now with no other way to kill time, Steve was spotting Sean while he worked one of the heavier punching bags. Rio's secrecy bothered all three of them, Hwoarang especially. Being kept in the dark was the one thing he hated more than anything else. "What's her problem?" he asked out loud for the fifth or sixth time since she vanished. "Why's she being so damned secretive?"

"Who is being secretive?" a voice suddenly asked. The three guys looked up from their activities and saw Baek Doo San standing in the entrance of the training area. He walked over to Hwoarang, who immediately rose up and bowed to his master.

"Rio, Sabumnim," Hwoarang replied. "She's hiding something, I can tell. She was talking about some controversy with Ayaka Corporation and the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Baek's eyes widened a bit. "The loss of Ayaka Corporation was a grim day for our country and Japan." He closed his eyes and shook his head at the thought. He had been old enough to remember what happened to the international company.

Sean and Steve made their way over to the tae kwon do master. "Wait, you know what happened with Ayaka Corporation?" Baek nodded.

"..Would you mind telling us?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo! Infernal Blossom here, bringing you news about random shit and upcoming Tekken stuff!**

**First off, **_**Tekken: Blood Vengeance**_**. Alisa was SO adorable! I wanted to take her home and bake her into a bunch of cookies! Lee was used for comic relief, but it was so natural, like he was meant for that role. I'm only disappointed because there was no scene with him either topless or in the shower.**

**Secondly, you guys have GOT to see the latest **_**Street Fighter x Tekken**_** trailers. Go onto the **_**Street Fighter**_** website, go to the trailers page and watch these videos: Promotion 2, Promotion 3 and ESPECIALLY Episode 2. Promotion 2 reveals Hwoarang's sexy new English voice. It's a bit weird not hearing him in Korean, but I like his English voice! As for Episode 2, there's a great show and an even more AWESOME surprise at the end! You'll see why I'm so excited once you see the surprise.**

**Anyway, without further delay, here's chapter 8!**

Baek sighed. The memory of that day was as clear as the image of his students. It had made headlines all around the world, and people everywhere talked about it for over a month after the incident. "Rio is right. There is a major controversy surrounding Ayaka Corporation's fate." The tae kwon do master's gaze fell to the floor as the three younger fighters moved closer to him.

"Ayaka Corporation was originally just a Japanese company. They branched out to South Korea when the CEO married a Korean woman, and both nations became closer than ever. Ayaka Corp. had been working with both the Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation at the time, but they suddenly pulled out of their partnership with the Zaibatsu. The companies had little contact with one another until twelve years later, when the CEO and his family were murdered. The Zaibatsu immediately went in and took over the entire company without hesitation, and nobody from the family has been able to reclaim the company."

"How was the family just murdered?" Steve asked. "It doesn't make any sense. I'm sure a high profile man and his family would've had a large amount of security. Maybe not like the Mishima Zaibatsu, but still." He could relate to the situation a bit, having dealt with the mafia chasing him all around the world and nearly being assassinated by his mother.

Baek looked up at the young fighters. "That has been a mystery for thirteen years. An investigation was launched following the murders. It lasted for almost a year, but the assassination of the Ayaka family was never solved."

"So it was just swept under the rug like nothing?"

"Unfortunately so," Baek replied.

Hwoarang tried to process all the information in his head. It didn't make any sense to him. How was it possible for one company to overtake another right after the murder of the head family? How was it that nobody questioned it anymore? More importantly, why did Rio look so on edge when hearing about the family's murder? "Sabumnim," he started, "there has to be some kind of explanation." The tae kwon do student stared up at the ceiling and attempted to come up with some sort of plausible explanation. "Alright, let's say for a minute that somehow, the defenses for this family had been taken down. Couldn't they have just gone to another country and hidden themselves? I mean, there's plenty of Asian countries where they would've blended in, right?"

"Unfortunately, Hwoarang, that isn't so." Hwoarang raised an eyebrow in confusion at his master. "You see, the Ayaka family had another special factor to them aside from owning a large corporation. With the exception of the CEO's daughter, every member of the Ayaka family was of pure Japanese descent. Only Japanese blood coursed through their veins." Baek's words stopped for a short moment and lifted a hand to his face, covering his eyes. "...However, the family has carried a genetic anomaly from one generation to the next for over 140 years. Somehow, their eyes suddenly became green as an emerald. Nobody has been able to decipher why this is so."

Green eyes from pure Asian descent? "Is that even possible?" Sean asked him. He remembered seeing the photograph of the Ayaka family on the newscast the night before. Both the father and daughter had the green eyes. That would stand out anywhere, and he realized how hard it would be to go into hiding if people could tell who you were just by seeing your eye color. "Oh...I see..." You couldn't wear sunglasses all the time, and it'd seem even more suspicious for an entire family to do so every day. And changing their identities would have been an even harder task.

It all started to make a bit of sense in Hwoarang's head. "But wait... What does this have to do with Rio?"

The older Korean man tensed slightly. "...Well... Rio is..." He wasn't sure how to answer his student. "This is not a matter you should discuss with me," he finally said. "I must be going now." Baek turned away from the group and headed into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Damn, so close," Steve complained. "Where do you guys think we should go from here?" The three lost themselves in thought, trying to come up with a way to get more information on the situation.

Sean suddenly snapped his fingers. "We can see if she's at her job now. I'm pretty sure she'll be too busy working to notice we're there." Hwoarang and Steve nodded in agreement with the idea. "It's a full-proof plan." The trio left the dojang immediately and headed for Rio's job. Lucky for them, traffic was on their side. Just as they arrived on the opposite side of the street they saw Rio through the window. The restaurant was packed. "Perfect," Sean whispered. They crossed the street and made their way in without Rio so much as smelling their so-called stealth. The guys took residence at a booth in the center of the building. Luck remained on their side when a waitress other than Rio was assigned their table. She looked like the total opposite of their 'friend'.

"Welcome!" she cheerfully said to the group, handing out menus to them. "My name is Yoon, and I'll be your server for today! What can I get you boys to drink?" She REALLY was the total opposite of Rio. She was even smiling...especially at Steve. The guys ordered and she left them, giggling out loud when Steve winked at her.

He turned back to his friends as she left and saw the smug looks on their faces. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Hwoarang began. "She's only the fourth girl to giggle at you like a horny school girl since yesterday. How do you do it, man? You're not even trying!"

Steve smirked and leaned back. "The ladies can't fight the European charm, is all." He cupped a hand near his face and pointed at Sean with the other, making sure he didn't see it, and shook his head, as if to say 'he doesn't have it'. Sean didn't need to look at him to know what he was doing, and punched Steve in the arm. "I deserved that."

"Indeed you did," Sean added.

Hwoarang rolled his eyes at Steve. "European charm my ass. Remember last tournament? There was that rich Asian billionaire guy with the gray hair."

The boxer's jaw dropped. "You're talking about the Silver Haired Devil. Lee Chaolan, right?" Steve's grin widened. "That guy's a legend in the underground tournaments! I've always wanted to fight him!"

"That's the guy," Hwoarang continued. "Anyway, have you seen how many women fall to his feet and beg to have his baby? He's got a harem wherever he goes!"

Sean laughed a bit. "Pfft, the women are just a cover up. I'm convinced that guy is gay! Have you heard the way he talks?" The Irish teen struck a pose Lee had taken after winning one of his matches, putting a hand on his hip. "You need to fight with more class!" Sean mocked, throwing his other hand in the air and finishing off with a "Ha!" Steve and Hwoarang tried to hold in their laughs, but they bursted out laughing. They were glad it was so loud in the restaurant so Rio couldn't hear their voices.

The restaurant door opened and another customer walked in, taking a seat a few tables away. He had long black hair pulled back in a low ponytail and a thin briefcase on the table in front of him. A handgun and a pair of handcuffs rested in a holster belt around his waist. Steve's glance came his way for a short second. The British man squinted to make sure if he was seeing right. "Hey...isn't that Lei Wulong over there?" Sean and Hwoarang looked over to the table as well and saw him.

"Yeah, you're right. But what's he doing here?"

Just then, Rio passed by the trio. They hid behind their menus to make sure Rio didn't see them, but she was too busy to notice them. She walked over to the table where the international cop sat and stopped in her tracks. "Lei Wulong?" she asked. He looked up at the calling of his name and saw her, nodding. Rio looked around to be sure that there was nobody around that would possibly listen in on their conversation. Yoon, the other waitress, was the only one really close to her. She was carrying a tray with drinks on it. "Hey, Yoon. Tell the old man that I'm going on break early today." Yoon tilted her head to the side, glancing at Lei for a second before returning her gaze to Rio. "Relax. Nothing like yesterday is going to happen." She gave her co-worker a trusting smile and walked off to serve her table.

Yoon went back to her customers and gave them their drinks. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"Look, Steve," Sean started, "your girlfriend's back!" The waitress giggled at them, forcing a smile onto the boxer's face.

He looked behind the waitress and saw Rio take a seat opposite from the international cop. "Uhh...not yet. But we'll call you when we're ready, love." He winked at her and she skipped off, giggling even louder that before. The group sitting between them and Rio got up and left, giving them the perfect view and hearing range. He leaned in toward his friends and whispered, "That guy's an international cop! Why's she talking to him?"

Hwoarang thought about it for a moment. "You think she could be an undercover cop, too?"

Lei began opening up the briefcase in front of him. "How has your investigation been going?" he asked her, pulling out a few thin brown folders.

"I wish I could say it was going well," she replied. "Unfortunately, there's only so much I can do in my position. But I did look over some stuff we managed to save from the building." Rio dug in her apron pocket and took out a wad of folded papers, handing them to Lei. "They're in pretty bad shape, but I tried to preserve them as best as possible. How has it been for you?"

The Chinese man unfolded the papers and read over each one carefully. "A pain in the ass. I still can't believe they closed off the investigation. And when I tried to convince the higher ups to reopen it, they looked at me like I had six heads. So here I am, doing it on my own. You're the only one helping me out with this." He passed the stack of folders over to her. Rio immediately opened the top folder and looked through all the files.

She shifted through the papers slowly, reading each one thoroughly. Her eyes widened slightly at the last of the papers in the folder. "Are these numbers even correct?"

"As much as I'd like to say no, they're the real deal."

Rio grit her teeth, slamming her face into her hand. "You've got to be kidding me... The company's nearly bankrupt!" Her fist hit the table top. "This is bad..."

Lei sighed. "You're telling me." He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted when his cellphone started buzzing. "Excuse me a second." He picked up his phone and put it to his ear. "Detective Lei Wulong speaking." Lei was silent for a moment. "...Alright, I understand." He hung up and got up from his seat. "Sorry, but I need to head out now. Apparently G Corporation's just made it to the border. We'll need to talk more in detail about this the next time we meet. When are you free next?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll get back to you on that," she answered.

"Alright." Lei looked down at the papers Rio had handed him. "You mind if I hold onto these?" Rio shrugged her shoulders at him and started returning the folders to the briefcase. "You can keep those. I've got copies back at my office." The two shook hands and Lei left the restaurant, picking up the pace as he headed down the block.

The guys watched as Lei exited the building. They saw the looks on his and Rio's faces, and knew things were not good with whatever they'd discussed. "Did you catch any of that?"

"You better not have!" All three of them jumped in their seats when the heard Rio's voice out of nowhere. "So you've resorted to following me now?" she sneered.

Hwoarang calmed his nerves from her scare. "Well you wouldn't tell us anything, so we had no choice."

"And the most logical thing you little fuckers could think to do, even after I told you over and over again NOT to get involved, was to eavesdrop on my conversation. Yeah, that's such a smart idea." Rio pointed to the entrance. "Leave. NOW."

"Rio-"

"I'll deal with you three later. Now go!"

Sean laid out some money on the table as the three of them reluctantly got up and left the building. "What the hell's her problem?" he asked while they walked down the block.

"I told you she's hiding something!" Hwoarang yelled. "But what's so bad that she feels the need to hide it?"

The guys continued down the block and with their conversation, not noticing the black limousine pulling up to the road. It parked in front of the restaurant and the driver stepped out, opening the door for the person inside. He stepped out, and all eyes around fell on him. It would've seemed foreign not to do so, seeing how he was dressed in an elegant tuxedo. Some people just stared, while others pulled out cellphones, hoping to snap a picture of the man.

The man walked over to a small table in the back of the restaurant, which had emptied out quite a bit, and took his seat. Yoon saw him from the corner of her eye and ran over to Rio. "Hey, Rio," she whispered, there's a gorgeous guy in the back. Can you take care of him? I've got three tables under my wing already."

Rio glanced at the man Yoon was talking about only for a second before shaking her head no. She shot her co-worker a pair of puppy eyes until Rio ultimately gave in, sighing heavily and dragging herself over to the man. If the owner or anyone in the restaurant knew who the man was, they would've known better to send Rio over to him. He wouldn't want Lee Chaolan to be treated like just another customer.

She handed him a menu and pulled out her notepad, tapping her foot impatiently. "What'll you have?"

"My, aren't we impatient," the man mused. Rio rolled her eyes and groaned. She had an upscale man on her hands, most likely one who thought he could wear the entire world as a pinky ring. She glanced down at him and was a little surprised. He had shaggy gray hair and deep gray eyes, completed with a velvet voice and a smirk that could melt the hearts of most women he looked at. He seemed rather familiar, but she didn't care enough to think about how she could possibly know this man. "Please relax, my dear. There is no need to be so uptight."

_'Just hurry up already,'_ she thought to herself, tapping her foot faster.

Lee kept his eyes on Rio for a moment longer, narrowing his gaze. "...Oh my... Excuse me if I'm wrong, but is that you, Rio?" Rio froze, her expression now equal to a deer in headlights. Lee leaned closer to her and examined her face. "It IS you! But how is this possible? I thought you were-" The Korean woman's hand covered his mouth before her could finish his sentence. She stared at him, confused and even shaking a bit. Who was this man?


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi again! It's your dear Infernal Blossom, the Tekken fanatic and Hwoarang and Lee super fangirl!**

**Currently, I'm on a ROLL thanks to some awesome inspiration provided by **_**Tekken: Blood Vengeance**_**. I put two chapters up after the movie AND drew Sean and Rio. There are pictures of them, along with what I believe Jun would look like if she possessed the Devil Gene in her veins, on my deviantART page. The link is up on my profile.**

**And now, my dear Tekken fans, chapter 9...**

Rio removed her hand from Lee's mouth, looking at him suspiciously. How did this man know her name? In the entire world, there were only two people who really knew her, and they knew better than to sell her out. So how could some rich upperclassman know her name when they've never even met? "Okay," she whispered to him, leaning close, "how do you know my name?"

"How are you alive?" he asked, avoiding her question. Lee stood up and removed his gloves, taking her hands in his. He gently rubbed his thumb across the surface of her skin. "It's been quite a while, Rio." He let go of her hands and stepped back, taking in her sight from the bottom up. "Looks like that little girl I recall is all grown up. And I must say, time has been...very kind to you..." Lee came closer to her again and cupped his hand around her cheek.

The Korean woman slapped his hand away and scowled at him. "Alright, pervert, who the hell are you? And I swear, if you even try lying to me-" She suddenly fell silent when she felt his finger touch her lips.

"Relax, there's no need to be hostile," he reassured her. "I guess you really don't remember me..."

"So then tell me who you are!"

Lee chuckled. "Pardon me. Where are my manners?" The businessman leaned forward and bowed before Rio. "I am Lee Chaolan, and it is a great pleasure to have reunited with you after so long." He looked up and shot her a grin. Rio froze for a few seconds and gulped nervously. How had she not recognized him from the first glance? She suddenly turned around and started walking away from him. "Wait, Rio!" he called out, following her and grabbing her hand.

For the first time in over a decade, Rio felt scared. "Get the hell away from me!" she whisper-yelled at him, snatching her hand away. "You're the last person I'd want to see. I don't need for you to drag me off to your bastard father so he can go ahead and execute me!" She went to storm off, but Lee caught her hand again, gripping it tight.

"Rio...please, listen to me. Why would I have the audacity to do such a thing? I'd never even think to hurt you." Rio stared him down for a moment before calming herself. "There you go, just relax." He brought Rio back to his table and sat her down, taking up the chair next to her.

The Korean woman held her head in her hands. She still had a hard time believing she was actually speaking to that man. "...Look, I'm sorry. I'm just a little surprised to see you. Hell, I don't even know how you even recognized me."

"There's no way I could ever forget your face," he answered. She looked up at him and Lee stared into her eyes. He saw past her efforts to try and hide herself in this world. She no longer had the same childish demeanor; it had been replaced with a more stern one. "Perhaps I can take you out to dinner sometime. I'd love to catch up with you." Hearing this made her groan.

"Couldn't we just do something simple, like go back to my apartment? I'd rather not be anywhere near the spotlight right now."

"Nonsense," he told her. "A woman of your caliber must _be_ served, not have to serve others."

Rio realized that she wasn't going to win this battle. She knew Lee was persistent when it came to pampering a woman. She sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her head. "Alright, you win, but just this once. You can take me out to eat."

Lee clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Let's get going!" He took Rio's hand and made his way to the entrance. As he approached the doorway, the restaurant's owner came out from the kitchen. He saw Rio and Lee and stopped in his tracks. "Excuse me, good sir. I hope you don't mind me taking your employee out for a nice meal." The owner could do nothing in his state of shock except nod in agreement. Lee nodded back and led Rio out of the building. A few people passing by tried to snap a quick picture of them as the two crawled into the limousine waiting out front. The chauffeur closed the door and went into the front seat, waiting for his boss' orders. "Master Yung's, please."

The limousine pulled off the curb and started driving. "So, Rio," he began, "why don't you start from the beginning? Something obviously happened that I missed."

She hoped he wouldn't bring that up. "Look, that's a story that would be best saved for later. It's really long. But there are two things I can tell you now." Rio counted them out on her fingers. "One: when referring to me when even one other person is around, you are to call me Rio Kyok Sang. THAT is my name. Two: I know you're wondering about why I don't really stand out in the crowd. I'm wearing contacts so I can at least look like an average Korean woman." She gave him a serious glare to further prove she wasn't kidding.

"Alright, I understand. I won't bring up anything suspicious."

"Good." Rio slumped back in her seat. "So how much longer until we get there?" Her wish was granted when the limo stopped in front of a large building. Master Yung's, the most expensive restaurant in Seoul. The Korean woman rolled her eyes. "How did I know?" she murmured. She'd expected Lee to take her someplace extravagant; she knew him like the back of her hand. Rio could easily predict how the night would play out just by looking in Lee's eyes. Now that she was a full grown woman, Lee seemed to have an attraction to her, so he'd buy her only the most expensive things in an attempt to impress her. That's just how Lee Chaolan worked: businessman by day, womanizer by night. The chauffeur opened the door and they stepped out. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Lee shook a finger at her. "Please, Rio. I want you to enjoy yourself tonight." He held out his hand for her. "Shall we?" Rio stared down at his hand for a moment before sighing and walking inside, leaving Lee behind to follow her. They stopped at a podium, where a man stood waiting to seat people. "Please escort my dear lady and I to your best table, if you will," he told the man, who immediately recognized him. "I would like a bottle of your finest wine brought in on some ice, two tall white candles just lit and petals from fresh cut red roses to surround the table. Bring my lady and I the best broiled salmon and rice money can buy." The waiter shouted out orders to other employees before leading Lee and Rio deeper into the restaurant. As the two were led to their table Rio looked around, taking note of the ornate designs flowing all throughout the main hall. She shook her head at how gaudy the setup was. The waiter led her up a flight of curving stairs and through a hall, which ended with an outdoor balcony. A single table stood in the center, with two chairs on either side of it. On the table, there were two lit candles and a bucket filled with ice and a wine bottle. An employee finished scattering the last bunch of rose petals around the table. Anyone sitting on that balcony would've had the perfect view of the city line silhouetting the sunset behind it."A beautiful sight, no?"

"Eh, it's not really a big deal". Rio looked more bored than interested, which surprised Lee a bit. Usually, women would turn to putty just by standing next to him. But this one was different. She had some fight in her, and he liked that. Lee Chaolan found himself to be more interested in Rio than any other woman he'd been with. There was something about her that made him want to chase her, instead of it being the other way around, as it normally was. He'd have to find a way to catch her interest.

Lee pulled out her chair for her and she sat down. "Some wine?" He poured wine in both their glasses before taking his seat and sipping some of the maroon liquid. "So tell me, how have you been these past 13 years? You've changed so much since the last time I laid eyes on you."

Rio followed his movements, sipping her wine as well. "It's been a bit of hell," she began, "but I've learned to manage. After what happened, my uncle took me in and I learned tae kwon do. Now I'm a fifth degree black belt. When the King of Iron Fist tournament is announced, I'm going to win and take down Heihachi and Jin." She paused when two waiters brought their meals and set them on the table. "The only other thing I've been doing is investigations with Lei Wulong."

"You mean the international cop?" She nodded, starting to eat her food. "I see...Sounds like you've been quite busy. You could use a day of relaxation." Lee thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table. "Now that I think about it, there's a gala coming up next week here in Seoul. It's being hosted by the president of the Korean Republic. He thought that if the upperclassmen could be calmed by an enjoyable evening, it could ease some of the stress on the world." His eyes trailed across Rio's body once more. He remembered exactly how she looked the last time, wearing a knee length blue dress and shawl. She had a wide grin on her face as she ran up to the businessman and asked him for one last dance before the night ended.

Rio glanced up at him from her dinner plate. "And what, may I ask, would I wear to such an 'extraordinary event'?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh, don't you worry," he answered. "I've got the perfect look in mind. In fact, I happen to be carrying the finishing piece with me." He set down his wine glass and reached into his pocket, pulling out a rectangular black box. He placed the velvet case in front of Rio. "For you." She raised an eyebrow at the velvet box.

"What's this?"

Lee smirked at her. "A gift, of course. I've been saving this for a woman who truly deserves something gorgeous." The black haired woman shrugged her shoulders and opened the clasp. She lifted the lid, and her eyes changed from uncaring to slightly confused.

Resting inside the box was a beautiful diamond necklace. Three larger square cut diamond pendants hung off of a chain composed of a group of smaller diamonds, all attached to a thick white gold chain. It was truly a sight to behold, something that would make any woman fall onto their knees in front of the man who bestowed it on them and say 'You can have me.'

Any woman, that is, except for Rio.

Rio stared at the diamond necklace for a second more, before she glanced back up at the gray eyed man. "Again, what's this?" she asked a second time. Lee chuckled.

"A gift," he repeated. "What's a beautiful woman without beautiful jewelry?"

She kept the same expression on her face and lifted the necklace by one of its ends. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" He laughed again.

"Wear it, of course. I can already see you in an elegant white and gold gown with this." The hazel eyed woman scoffed.

"And you couldn't wait until then to give it to me? I take one step outside my apartment wearing this and it's as good as gone." She knew he was trying to woo her by giving her expensive gifts and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She also knew it wasn't going to work, but Rio decided not to crush the man's pride. Not _that_ much, anyway. "If you had to give me a gift right this instant, you could've gotten me something more practical. Like money to pay my rent, maybe."

He nodded. "I see. I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time." His eyes wandered down to her chest for a moment, then wandering back up to her eyes before she could notice. Lee may have known her as a child, but she was a woman now, and he loved a woman's curves. "I really admire how brave you've been through all your struggles." His smile grew a bit when Rio leaned closer to him. It faded, however, once she scowled.

"If you wish to continue admiring me or anything else," she whispered to him in an assertive tone, "I suggest you keep those eyes of yours where they belong."

The businessman, who never feared anything, swallowed out of fear for once. "Note taken." Despite feeling a slight shiver going down his spine from fear, he was amazed at how she'd caught him. _She must've endured rigorous training to have such quick eyes,_ he thought.

Rio finished her food and wine and stared out toward the city. "Hey, Lee."

"Yes, what is it?"

She remained silent for a moment, continuing to stare as the sun vanished behind the horizon. "Forget it, it's nothing." Rio stood from her seat and stretched her arms upward. "Look, it's getting kind of late, and I have to wake up really early for training." Lee nodded and stood as well.

"Of course. I'll take you home." Rio froze for a split second, looking at Lee as if she were saying no. "You know I won't allow a woman to walk such dangerous streets at night." She groaned, signaling she accepted his offer.

-0-0-0-0-

Lee's limousine pulled up in front of her apartment complex. The silver haired man stepped out and held the door open for Rio. She climbed out from the vehicle and stood next to the front door, arms crossed. "Thanks for dinner, I guess." Lee smiled.

"My pleasure." The hazel eyed woman rubbed the back of her neck, not sure of what else to say.

"Well...see you around." She pulled the door open and walked inside, turning to close it.

"Just a moment." Rio stopped in her tracks and looked up at Lee. "...Would it be too much trouble...to ask for a kiss?"

The Korean woman just silently stared at him for a second before answering, "Yes," and slamming the door on his face.

Rio's apathetic demeanor would surely be a tricky one to tame. But he was Lee Chaolan, a well know billionaire and ladies' man. He was willing to step up and take the challenge head on. Lee stepped back into the limousine and drove off to his hotel, contemplating on how he could spark her interest.

Rio locked the door to her apartment and sighed heavily. "Finally," she groaned. Rio dragged herself to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She noticed that her burgundy streak was starting to grow out. "Great, another expense I need to worry about..." Rio opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a small plastic tray, which had two small cases on each end of it. She reached in again and took out a white bottle. Unscrewing the cap and casing lids, she poured a few drops of clear liquid into each one. She tied her hair back before reaching to her eyes. Rio pulled two hazel tinted contacts out and slipped them into the liquid. "I really need to get new ones," she continued complaining. The black haired woman looked up to the mirror again, staring at her reflection for longer than before. A pair of green eyes stared back. "Why did I have to be born with these eyes...?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello Tekken fans! This is your Infernal Blossom speaking! **

**Guess what? I'm going to SVA baby! In September, I'll be starting my first day of college at the School of Visual Arts. I hope this helps me out with my chances of becoming a concept artist at Namco Bandai Games.**

**On another note, my friend **_**Inky Battlefield**_** is starting to write a Street Fighter story. I think he's calling it ****Seven Deadly Sins****. It's going to be a very dark story, so I suggest sadistics and people with high blood lust read it once it's up!**

**So now it's time to continue this story. Here's chapter 10.**

Her eyes remained on the mirror, studying the pair of green ones staring back. "Why...?" she asked herself again, her voice lowering to a whisper. "Why did I have to be cursed with something so noticeable?" Lee had easily seen through her disguise, one she worked so hard to create. So then how did it fail? He and Rio hadn't seen each other in over a decade, when she was still a child, and he a more youthful man. Her look now was very different from then. Thoughts raced in her mind as she tried to figure out how the gray eyed man had recognized her so easily. Had the contacts slid down, even just a little? Was the color fading?

"How did he notice me?" she asked again. She calmed down, knowing there was no way to find out by asking herself. "I'll just have to ask him when he comes to bring me to that gala..." Rio's gaze moved down to the sink. She'd be amongst her own kind again, for the first time in years. She would have to dress like them, act like them, speak like them, deal with the media and paparazzi... Thinking about going through just the first five minutes of that night made her stomach churn in disgust, let alone everything else on her plate that she despised. She hated dressing up. Wearing those long, flashy, uncomfortable dresses made her sick. First being discovered, then Lee hitting on her... Now she felt dirty from all these thoughts. "I need a shower."

Rio freed her hair out from its ponytail and began to strip. She unbuckled her belt and pulled it from the loops in her pants. She kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned her white shirt, tossing the clothes into the far corner. Her pants went next, and then her bra. The black haired woman stopped undressing and looked up to the mirror again. Her eyes trailed down to her upper body, surveying the collection of scars on her skin. She could see the blood oozing from each mark when she first got them, the memory still playing strong in her head. Rio ran her fingertips across a scar on her chest, just below her collarbone. A jagged, dark rosy line zigzagged down to between her breasts. Her fingers slid over to her right arm. The dent in her flesh was as noticeable as her eyes, maybe even more. She was able to feel the dip clearly when moving her hand down to her elbow. That was thanks to a bullet. Looking at all her scars was the same as looking at her actual eyes: she hid them well, and would sometimes forget what they looked like. There were a few instances where her eyes would widen at the sight of them, almost in awe.

After removing her underwear, Rio turned on the hot water and closed the door. The bathroom quickly filled with steam and she stepped into the shower. Rio let out a sigh when the water made contact with her skin. Her muscles were very sore after so much intense training, and she rarely ever had time to simmer down. Being able to just stand under the water as it poured down on her face and body was enough to let her shoulders drop and unwind. She'd love to have time to go to a spa and sit in a sauna for who knows how long, but for now, the small bathroom in her one bedroom apartment was her only option. As the water rained down on her she thought about the things Lee said to her that night. She reckoned he would act like he did, but there was still a bit of surprise in it. His voice rang in her head when she'd lathered shampoo in her hair. "_Looks like that little girl I recall is all grown up. And I must say, time has been...very kind to you..._" he's said to her. "_What's a beautiful woman without beautiful jewelry_?" Rio still had a hard time believing he just 'happened to have' an exorbitant piece of jewelry randomly sitting in the pocket of his blazer. "_...Would it be too much trouble...to ask for a kiss_?" Now _THAT_ caught her off guard. She didn't think he'd try to move so quickly with her, especially given their history.

Her cellphone suddenly rang. Looks like relaxation time was over. Rio rinsed the conditioner out of her hair and shut off the water, wrapping her body in a nearby towel. She dug in the pocket in her pants and pulled out the phone, raising it to her ear. "Yeah? Who is it?" she asked.

"Rio, we've got a problem."

She immediately recognized the voice. "Julia? What's wrong?" Rio met Julia Chang along her worldwide trip to study different fighting styles. The two shared similar goals and hatreds with the Mishima family, and decided to aid and keep in contact with each other.

"I'm sure you've already heard that G Corporation has landed on the shores of South Korea," Julia began. "I just wanted to make sure you were still okay over there." Of course, she was always one to call and check in to see how someone was doing.

Rio opened the bathroom door, letting out all the steam as she walked into the living room. "I overheard some cops saying they did," she lied – only halfway; she WAS told that by a cop, "but I haven't seen any of their soldiers in the city. Only Zaibatsu drones. Anyway, I'm fine. What about you?"

The Native American cleared her throat and continued. "Luckily, I was able to complete my reforestation research before all hell broke loose. Staying at G was not an option for me once Kazuya Mishima announced his plans. I had to get out of there." Rio turned on her television and flipped through the channels as her friend spoke. "For now, I'm staying at a little hotel in Seoul."

"So you're here in the city?" Rio heard Julia 'mhm' in response. "You know, you can come stay with me for a while. It sure beats paying to stay in a crappy hotel." She may have had a hard shell and stern demeanor, but Rio looked out for the few comrades she had. It was hard for most people to believe she actually had a heart.

"Are you sure that wouldn't be a problem?" Julia asked. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

The black haired woman sighed. "Yes, it's fine. I'll pick you up in the morning on my way to my training area. Now what little hole in the wall are you staying at?" Julia gave Rio the address and they spoke for a few minutes more before she left her friend to turn in for the night. Rio turned off her television a second later and walked into her room. She dropped her towel and fished around in her dresser for a clean set of clothes, eventually finding a loose camisole and some underwear. She pulled the clothing onto her body and flopped onto her bed, pulling the sheets over her body. "Those pansy asses better not start hitting on her..." she muttered, staring at the ceiling until sleep overtook her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Come on, Steve! Faster!" Sean yelled, holding the punching bag still as the boxer threw jabs at it. Sweat rolled down Steve's face and torso and flew off his skin with each punch he threw at the bag. "You can do better than that! Hit it harder!" Steve gave it one last punch, causing Sean to nearly hit the wall.

"How was that?" Steve looked over to a group of girls, who had been watching the trio since they arrived at the dojang that morning for a workout. They'd met up with the girls the night before when Rio kicked them out for no apparent reason. The girls exchanged glances and giggled at Steve. "Alright, boys," he said to his friends, "The floor is yours." He walked over to them and sat down between the girls, pulling off his hand wraps. One picked up a bottle of water and fed it to him through a straw, while the other used a towel to wipe the sweat from his face and body.

Hwoarang got up from the floor and stretched out his legs. "It's been a while, huh?" he asked his Irish friend.

"Too long," Sean replied as he pulled his gloves on. "We haven't sparred since before the last tournament. You still think you can handle a punch from me? Paul's been putting me through hell for the next one." He tightened his belt around his waist and faced Hwoarang, cracking his neck.

Both fighters took their battle stances. "You may have beefed up a little, but that doesn't mean you can break through a wall just with your fist." Words ceased when Hwoarang dashed forward and tried to hit the Judo student with a tornado kick. Sean blocked Hwoarang's leg, both guys feeling the impact. He turned into the kick and charged him with his back. The Korean man stumble back a few steps. His friend had gotten stronger since their last match before the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, but not stronger than him. As Sean followed up with a strong back fist, Hwoarang grabbed his arm and hit him with a jumping roundhouse on the side of his head. He let go of Sean's arm and suddenly felt a firm grip on his ankle, and he was sent into a flying spin toward the ground, almost identical to a butterfly twist. Hwoarang did a back spring and landed on top of his sparring partner, ready to land a good hook punch on his cheek. He was stopped when Sean lifted his legs and forced Hwoarang down in a leg lock from behind. As he gradually applied more pressure to the lock, Sean felt his opponent lean forward a bit and catch him in a double arm bar, and he started to give back the pressure. Sean and Hwoarang were both driven to force the other to tap out, but neither fighter would give in. After a few minutes, though, the martial artists both caved. They held onto their now pained bodies and panted, sweat dripping into their eyes and to the floor. "I gotta say," Hwoarang huffed, "Paul's training paid off. I was about to pass out from that leg lock of yours."

Sean sat up, rubbing the sweat from his face. "Likewise. You almost had me there with that arm bar." Their hands met and they helped each other up, turning to look at Steve. His harem clapped a little and stood from the wall, skipping over to them with towels and water bottles.

"You boys keep it up and soon you'll be 'the toughest fighters in the universe' like Paul," Steve joked, earning some laughter from his harem. The women began wiping them off with the towels as Steve's attention turned to the training area entrance when he heard voices and footsteps. "Uh oh...here comes trouble." The guys looked toward the entrance and saw two other women walk into the training area. Rio and Julia walked in and observed the scene before them, exchanging glances.

"Are these the dufuses you were telling me about on the way here?" Julia asked her. Rio nodded, raising an eyebrow when she caught sight of the women on either side of Steve. They met her gaze and immediately scowled at her. She sent back a much deeper one and the girls looked away, shivering a little.

Steve noticed his fangirl slinking back and sighed. "Way to fuck up the fun, Rio."

"Blame your little friends," she replied in a harsh tone, looking over to the girls. "It's not my fault they shot jealous glares at me. Maybe they should work on their self esteem before challenging someone."

Hwoarang grit his teeth, about to pop Rio in the jaw to shut her up for a while, but his mood changed to slight confusion when it finally sunk in that Julia was next to her. "So let me guess...you two know each other?" He rolled his eyes at the two. It seemed like Rio knew a lot of people.

Julia reached up and tussled Hwoarang's and Sean's hair. "Hello to you, too."

"And you guys are actually friends?" Sean continued for him. "You do know that she's kicked all our asses more than once, right?"

"So? I've sparred with her."

Sean sighed, realizing that she didn't catch on to what he really meant. "Right..."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! Sorry for not updating right away. I hit quite a block while writing the chapter.**

**Okay, so I've got some news that will possibly change the story some more. Apparently, Katsuhiro Harada – creator of Tekken – went to a convention in Germany and made an announcement. According to him, Leo Kliesen is a young...woman. I'm sure you Fem!Leo supporters are ecstatic to hear this. But I must say, I'm disappointed to hear this. I've believed Leo was a guy ever since Tekken 6 came out, and he was supposed to be Sean's rival. So now I'm at a crossroad, and I need help from my fans. Should I keep Leo as a guy or give Sean a new rival? Inbox me with your ideas.**

**Going to some more news, I might make an appearance at the New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 15th. And who will I be, do you ask? Why, the First Lady of Fighting, of course, Chun-Li! **_**Inky Battlefield**_ **will be going with me as Hwoarang so we can do a **_**Street Fighter x Tekken**_ **cosplay! So be on the lookout for a Chun-Li, Ezio and Hwoarang group!**

**More thanks to **_**Inky Battlefield**_ **for his help when I got stuck xD**

The week had flown by rather quickly. Hwoarang and Steve had attempted to hit on Julia a few times, but Rio would always intervene and stop them from getting too far. Sean got the shock of his life when he found out that Rio not only knew Lili, but had his crush's phone number on speed dial. "H-how...her number...you have it... HOW?" he asked, barely able to make a complete question. Of course, Rio gave the beat-around-the-bush answer, saying that they knew each other from when Rio went traveling and they shared thoughts about the Zaibatsu's downfall. She was really starting to get suspicious.

Even Julia questioned her friend a little. Yes, the hazel eyed woman had been on a worldwide trip. But even she knew that it was nearly impossible to get in contact with anyone from a family as rich as the Rocheforts unless you either worked for them or had some kind of business partnership with the family's company. Neither of those fit, especially the second option. And after seeing how she'd resolved the guys' curiosities, Julia decided not to pursue any answers. Rio would tell her when she was ready. In the meantime, she needed to keep a low profile. Julia had left her G Corporation research lab without Kazuya knowing, and she had a feeling that his little spy Anna might be on the lookout for her.

As if Rio wasn't enough of a sight-misleading cock-blocker, the group's outing to a bar the night before wasn't exactly the fun night Hwoarang was hoping for. Everything was moving smoothly in the beginning; Rio's bitchitude levels were pretty low considering her usual personality. Being only nineteen, Sean was glad that Korea's legal drinking age was eighteen so he could drink like there was no tomorrow...as usual. They went to the bar counter and ordered a round of tequila, and that's where things started going a little downhill. Rio refused to drink any more than the one shot because she didn't want to wake up with a hangover and miss any valuable training time. The guys complained a little bit, but eventually let it slide. The night only got worse when a more light-spirited man began complimenting her in an attempt to grab her attention. When that didn't work, he tried putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She didn't expect it and, thinking she was being attacked, ended up twisting the poor sap's arm behind his back. It took a few seconds for the scene to re-register into her mind, and after a long annoyed sigh she stormed out of the bar and headed home. And if that wasn't bad enough, Jin Kazama and his top subordinates suddenly appeared on the small television screen in yet another international broadcast.

"_I would like to take this opportunity to invite the fighters of the world to participate in competition. In exactly one month from today, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 will begin. Obtain a ticket to the world's largest fighting tournament and show what you're made of. Those who wish to participate will meet at the Grand Seahorse Hotel in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The winner will be granted leadership of the Mishima Zaibatsu and worldwide fame. Do you believe you have what it takes to win it all? Show the world what you can do!"_

So much for trying to get Bitchzilla to relax.

The Korean woman awoke the next day to the scent of coffee filling her apartment. She stumbled out of bed and walked into the kitchen to find Julia pouring some coffee into a mug. "Morning," she said, trying not to sound too cheerful. "You seemed really tense last night. Is something wrong?" She handed Rio the mug and poured a second one for herself.

"No," Rio replied, "I've just got a lot on my plate." She took a sip from the mug and glanced up at the clock. It was past 12:30. "Dammit, I slept in..."

Julia sat down in the living room and pat the spot next to her until her friend sat down. "It's alright, you never do. Let yourself relax a little. You need it, especially if you're planning on participating in the tournament." The tournament was all Rio could think about that night. Pictures of the Zaibatsu even flashed in her sleep. No wonder she'd slept in so late. "You can't over exhaust yourself, Rio, or else you won't be able to fight at your best. Take a break once in a while." Rio sighed, realizing Julia was right. It was worse to train for a week straight without setting some time aside for rest than to take breaks in between training sessions. "Look, how about we take a spa day? Just you and me. We can get massages and sit in a sauna for a little while and just get pampered a little. What do you say?"

Rio raised an eyebrow at her. "A spa day sounds nice, but when are we going to-" She was interrupted when her cellphone started ringing. She grumbled and got up. "Hang on." Rio dragged herself back into her bedroom and got her phone, holding it up to her ear. "Yeah?"

"Good afternoon, Rio." '_Oh great_,' she thought to herself. "I hope you're not busy today," Lee said to her.

"So? What if I'm not?"

"Excellent!" Lee exclaimed. "Do you remember that little gala I mentioned earlier in the week? Well that happens to be taking place tonight, and I wanted to pick you up so I could help you get ready for it." Rio rolled her eyes. She was hoping he would've forgotten about inviting her.

But she knew how persistent he was. She didn't have much of a choice. "Fine," she flatly answered. "Just promise me you won't go overboard with this. I don't need the world's attention directed onto me."

"I solemnly swear. Now, we'll need to work quickly if we're to arrive to the gala at a decent time. I'll be there to pick you up in approximately thirty minutes." Before she could argue, Lee hung up. Not only had he coerced her into going to the gala with him, but he was making sure she couldn't argue against his early arrival to her apartment. He was a smart man.

Rio groaned. He was going to be at the front entrance of her apartment a half hour, and she wasn't even dressed. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and picked out an outfit – it didn't matter what it looked like, she wouldn't be wearing it for long. Once dressed, Rio quickly ran into the living room. "We're gonna have to reschedule the spa day, Julia. My boss called and said I need to get into work," she lied. She'd find a better time to tell her that she was going to an exclusive party filled with rich people.

"Oh, alright." She reached for the TV remote. "When will you be back?"

"Late," Rio bluntly answered as she ran up to the bathroom and fixed herself up. She needed to get downstairs before the limo pulled up so she could just jump in the second it arrived. Rio finished fixing herself up, teeth brushed and all, and dashed out the door to the staircase. Eight floors worth of stairs later she was outside on the ground level, minutes before Lee's limousine drove up the block. It barely stopped in front of the apartment building before she pulled the door open and jumped in, slamming it closed behind her.

Lee chuckled a bit when he witnessed Rio's actions. "What's the matter?" he asked her jokingly. As if he didn't know already. The limo drove off and he took out a nicely decorated parfait out from the mini fridge. "You look hungry." He handed her the parfait and a spoon.

"You finally managed to give me something I actually need," she commented before starting on the late breakfast. "Speaking of which, I brought the necklace you gave me. I don't need you trying to buy me another one that's worth even more." He chuckled again, knowing she was right. Within a few minutes, the limousine stopped in front of a large store. Mannequins stood displayed behind the large glass windows, all wearing extravagant dresses. Rio rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.

The limo driver opened the door and the two stepped out. "What do you think? These are the best created by human hands." People were already beginning to gather around and trying to catch pictures of them as he lead her into the boutique. Inside, a team of sales recipients immediately greeted them.

"Mr. Chaolan! Welcome!" one of the recipients cheerfully said. He was the only one without a measuring tape around his neck; most likely the owner of the shoppe. The man snapped his fingers and another team, composed of four more people, entered the main room. Rio could smell baby powder and light traces of vanilla coming from a hall near the back, and she caught sight of a private spa at its end. Guess she wouldn't be needing that spa day with Julia. "Shall we get started, then? We don't want to make you late." The shoppe's owner and his fashion team brought Lee on a dress hunt while the other four employees whisked Rio away to begin her transformation.

Rio barely had a chance to think as the employees got to work on her. They treated her like a queen. The hairdresser began washing her hair in the sink while the makeup artist started on her facial, the manicurist went to work on her hands and the masseuse instituted a foot massage. She tensed up a bit. This all felt extremely strange. She eventually eased herself, and even enjoyed the pampering a little. A relaxed sigh escaped her lips. A half hour passed and things switched up. She was moved from the sink to a chair, where the hairdresser was now touching up the burgundy streak in her bangs. The masseuse moved from her legs to her shoulder and lightly commented, "You're really tense." The manicurist finished filing her nails and moved down to Rio's feet, and the makeup artist had begun hand-feeding her fresh grapes. The first half of the makeover was starting to wrap up as her facial came to a finish and her manicure was completed. The massaging had ceased and the hairdresser was doing the last touch-ups on her hair. Rio now had a high bun, neatly held together with bobby pins. The hairdresser allowed her to keep some of her bangs loose. She was lead out of the spa room by the makeup artist and brought to Lee, who was with the owner and his fashion team.

"You already look stunning," the owner told her. What a suck up. With another snapping of his fingers, his fashion team brought Rio to a changing room and finished the transformation. She was brought out after fifteen minutes and on a short pedestal in front of some mirrors. The gown was made of white chiffon, with an A-line strapless neckline and a floor length chapel-style train. The neckline was trimmed with thick gold ribbons and thread, the ribbon gradually widening as it traveled down her back and to the end of the dress. A separate gold sash wrapped around her waist and joined the ribbon, sewn into the front. Underneath the dress she wore strapped gold heels. Her hands and arms were covered by long white silk gloves. A gold comb and a pair of ornamental chopsticks adorned her hair, decorated with small white diamonds. Her makeup matched perfectly: shimmering light gloss, hints of gold-tinted eyeshadow and a light blush. Rio had objected, however, when the artist tried to cover up her scars.

Lee reached into his pocket and took out the diamond necklace. He stepped back as one of the employees placed the final accessory around her neck. "Beautiful," he complimented as she stepped down. "The dress suits you perfectly." It had been a long time since Rio had worn a dress, and to be back in one felt just as strange as the pampering. Lee and the shoppe owner shook hands, and the businessman lead Rio out to the limo. They got in and made their way to the gala. "Now I know you didn't want to be in the limelight," he began, "but we'll only have to be in front of the media for a few moments. I'll take care of all the talking."

"...Okay. And how are you to refer to me?"

"Miss Rio Sang," he answered, earning a nod from her. "Please, Rio, do me a favor and try to enjoy yourself tonight. You've been under so much stress lately, I thought pampering you and taking you out would calm your nerves." He shot her a soft smile until she sighed and agreed. "There we go." Bright lights could be seen flashing less than a block away. They were finally there. "Here we go. Are you ready?"

"No."

The sun set behind the horizon and the limousine slowed to a halt a few feet away from the catering hall. Reporters, photographers and cameramen alike were all held back by barricades. One of the many bodyguards on call for the event opened the limousine door. Lee stepped out onto the red carpet and offered Rio his hand. Any other time she would've rejected his hand, but she knew that he had an image to keep up, and she wasn't out to destroy his reputation. So for the sake of her old friend, she reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to guide her out. Cameras immediately began flashing when the two were out, and the focus of every reporter shifted to them. Rio was slowly starting to regret accompanying him. They were drawing much more attention than she'd anticipated. And as Lee promised, he did all the talking when a few reports managed to get their questions through. He told them that she was an old friend of his and an Olympic gold medalist, which raised even more questions; luckily for them, however, another bodyguard helped them escape the crowd.

The building itself was a grand affair, decorated with marble, platinum, and gold. A higher floor loomed above the entrance, with twin seraphim monoliths to support it. The lush classical music that radiated throughout the scene came from the far side of the room, where the orchestra was housed. Round tables, each adorned with silver platters of various expensive foods and vases filled with decorative precious stones lined the walls, and two winding marble staircases sat in the corners, leading up to the upper floor and the balcony. Their entrance piqued the attention of everyone in the room, but none more than the group of women that congregated about the balcony, so they could look down on the populace as they analyzed the crowd. To them, someone like Lee Chaolan was an irresistible force, a commodity that was always in demand, and as such, they kept tabs on him. They assumed tonight would be like any other night: Lee would parade around with his latest arm candy, then meet up with some acquaintances and let his pet go exploring on her own. And usually, said pet would slowly try to make her way to them in an attempt to show herself off. It'd happened countless times before.

Rio could feel the stares drilling through her and Lee as they walked further into the hall. If she felt awkward in social situations already, all those past experiences would feel like a gentle summer breeze compared to tonight. With her arm still around that of her escort, she wrapped her hand around his bicep and squeezed enough to gain his attention. Lee turned slightly toward her, keeping his eyes focused on their surroundings. "Is something troubling you?" he whispered to her, his mouth staying in its calmed smirk.

Her face had been generally emotionless since their arrival, but the familiar grimace was starting to show through a little. "I'm having second thoughts, Lee," she answered him. "I haven't done so much as taste one of those nasty caviar hors d'oeuvres in years. How am I supposed to survive a night with so many upperclassmen in the same room eyeing me like vultures?"

He turned to her, offering her reassured eyes. "I promise you, you needn't worry." He caressed her cheek gently, as if to wipe away her concerns. "You're the most radiant woman in the room. Always remember that." She knew that was true, but only because she'd arrived to this party with the wealthiest man in the room. None of these people would even be looking at her if it weren't for Lee. Just then, a male voice called from behind them.

"Mr. Chaolan? Fancy meeting you here."

Lee turned to meet the source of the voice, leading with his usual picturesque smile. The short, portly man rushed up to him, shaking his hand enthusiastically. The silver hair that edged about the sides of his head easily betrayed his age, and the sight of his saccharine smile and his sweat drenched forehead that he constantly dabbed at with his pocket handkerchief showed his status among the rest of the bootlickers that seemed to follow Lee like a plague. Rio felt a groan build in her throat, but she swallowed it for appearance's sake.

"Ah, Nigel. It's a…surprise to see you." Lee replied in a smooth, yet slightly forced tone. Even through his perpetually cordial and suave exterior, Rio could tell that he didn't want to deal with this guy. It was clear that Nigel couldn't take a hint though, because he continued without hesitation.

"How rude of me. Allow me to introduce my charming wife, Gladys," he said, gesturing to the woman by his side. The botox injections did nothing for hiding her true age, which couldn't be a day under 60, and the jewel- encrusted gold bangles that lined her forearms jangled incessantly with her every movement as Lee took her hand and bowed, which she responded to with an annoying high-pitched prissy laugh. "And who is this lovely young woman with you?" Nigel questioned, glancing at Rio slightly before focusing all of his undivided attention back on Lee. "This is Miss Sang, a close acquaintance of mine." Lee replied, subtly looking past Nigel in an attempt to escape the forced pleasantries, but to little avail. "I was hoping to run into you tonight, actually." Nigel said, putting his hand on Lee's shoulder and leading him away. "Perhaps we could talk more privately…About business matters?"

Lee quickly glanced beside him at Rio, whose expression was showing more and more how she despised being here. He didn't want to go off with his acquaintance and leave her to fend for herself, but when someone wanted to talk business, there was really no other way to brush past the subject. "Will you be fine on your own?" he asked Rio. She gave him a quick glare, then sighed heavily when met with his pleading eyes.

"I'll be fine on my own. Just go and hurry up with your 'business talk'," she whispered to him, keeping her voice low enough so only he could hear.

Lee shot her a smile and kissed the top of her hand. "I'll only be a moment." He let her go and joined Nigel on a stroll around the hall, leaving Rio alone in the lion's den with a meat ring around her neck. She turned her attention to Gladys, who had been studying her since they came in contact. Rio knew she and all the other women in here would be eyeing her as either an insect or an animal waiting to be hunted. They would be judging her based on every move she made. And Lee said this was supposed to help her relax.

"So," Gladys started, "you and Mr. Chaolan seem to be well acquainted." She looked down at Rio's hands for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "I'm afraid I don't see a ring on your finger." Then in a low sneering tone, she commented, "No surprise there," thinking Rio wouldn't hear. But she hear each word clearly.

Rio's eye twitched slightly. "Rings are too binding. I, for one, will not throw myself at the feet of a man who tosses me something gold and shiny...Unlike others..." Gladys gasped, shocked and embarrassed, and stormed off. "Finally," Rio complained, "her old woman perfume was starting to get me high." Unfortunately, though, now she was truly left to fend for herself. She started wandering around, trying to ignore the observant stares of the men and women around her. A waiter stopped in front of her and offered her a tray filled with caviar hors d'oeuvres. She was almost tempted to actually laugh at the irony, but she held it in and took a napkin and one of the 'snacks'. Rio took a bite into it and nearly gagged. She hadn't liked caviar much as a child, but biting into the little ball of food made her hate the taste even more. She discreetly spit it out into her napkin and began searching for a trash can to toss the 'food' into, along with a drink to wash out the taste. Luckily, there was a table filled with glasses of white wine, but no trash can. "Shit..." she quietly cursed. Her eyes darted around frantically before she finally settled with placing the trash into the hands of a busboy passing by. Rio grabbed one of the wine glasses and downed it as quickly as she could without seeming like the town drunk. It was then that she sensed a chilling presence behind her, and she knew that judgment was only a few seconds away.

The black haired woman turned to face the people behind her, who turned out to be the three women who'd watched her and Lee enter from the balcony. The one on the left had dark brown hair braided to the side, fully pinned away from her peachy lipstick and dull brown eyes, and wore a one shouldered jade dress, which hugged her thin figure tight and ended around her ankles. The one to the right had lighter brown hair and gray eyes, and was dressed in a short black dress that barely reached her thighs. It was evident to everyone that she was flat chested, and had failed miserably at stuffing her bra. Their supposed leader had dark blue eyes and bright red hair pinned up in a very strange fashion. She wore a floor length bright cerulean dress that split along her left leg. The off-the-shoulder look was far fro suiting for her, especially since she was trying so hard to have her chest hanging out as much as possible. All three women had large clunky necklaces and earrings on, all of which seemed to be crafted from fake gold.

Rio really didn't want to deal with these women, but she wasn't being given any other options. "Why, hello there, darling," the brown haired woman said to her in a clearly ridiculing tone. "We noticed you arriving with Lee Chaolan earlier this evening. You must be his latest arm candy." If she were anywhere else Rio would've slugged the brunette right in the eye for referring to her like that. But as much as she wanted to, she had to behave. "So just how did you meet him, hmmm?"

This was her second test of patience. "Lee and I are old friends," she replied, keeping her face as emotionless as possible. She'd rather them see a blank stare than what she was really feeling. "I'm only here with him because I owed him a favor."

"I see," the woman with the darker brown hair intervened. "Is that why you seem so apathetic?" The women began to circle her like sharks, looking her up and down. They even touched her dress a little, feeling the fabric between their fingers. "So what do you think, girls? Is she the most expensive one yet?" The other two women nodded and returned to where they were standing.

Then the redhead walked up close to Rio, studying her from the front. "Hmm...let me see if I can guess how much money he put into you..." She started observing Rio more closely from the top and slowly worked her way down. Her gaze stopped at her chest when she saw both the diamond necklace and the collection of scars along Rio's chest and shoulders. "My my my... Come look at this, girls!" Her lackeys also quickly caught sight of them and started whispering to each other. After a few more seconds the women backed up, prepared to tear Rio apart. "So tell us, miss-"

"Rio."

"Right, Rio... Now, how much did that necklace cost him?"

That was an unexpected question. "How should I know? He surprised me with it." The women whispered a bit more, then moved on with their analysis.

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty three." The women gasped.

"My, you're the youngest one yet. And what about the scars?" Rio had expected people to ask, but she didn't know they'd expect an answer out of it. Before she could answer, however, the women had formulated one of their own. "Oh, I get it," the redhead started. "You said you and Mr. Chaolan are old friends, right? So how much does he pay you a night? 6000? 7000? More?"

Rio's eye twitched again. "Excuse me?"

"Let me see if I can spell it out clearly for you," the lighter brunette continued. "The only reason you're as close to Lee Chaolan as we used to be is that he's paying you for sex." Now the fighter's eyes narrowed a bit. "There can't be any other reason he'd be with you right now. I mean, just look at you! You're obviously some kind of prostitute or dominatrix with all those scars you have. And your boobs CANNOT be real."

"Not to mention the outfit," the darker brunette added. "We've all been with Lee, and we know that the more you let him under your dress, the more he'll pamper you."

So that was their problem? They were jealous that she was with Lee? Rio sighed heavily. "Look, ladies. I think I've heard about enough of your jealousy-induced bullshit." The women's eyes already began widening, mouths agape. "I may not be a prostitute or a dominatrix, but according to what you've all said, it seems I know what it takes to keep Lee hanging around MUCH better than the three of you do combined. Now, I could march over to Lee and have him deal with you. But I don't feel like disturbing him, so I'll do it myself. Maybe you three should take a look in the mirror and see why he chose to leave you atrocities where you belong: in the trash." There was still a small amount of wine left in her glass, so Rio chose to splash the few remaining drops onto the ringleader's exposed chest. She just stood there, unable to say anything out of shock. "You might want to try covering those silicon bags up sometime." She immediately turned away and set the empty glass down onto one of the tables and headed straight for the balcony. "I need some air," she muttered to herself. It wasn't too cold out, but Rio was still shivering a bit, mainly from the rage boiling inside her. She went to reach where her pocket would've been for her cigarettes, but no box could be felt. "Dammit...I left them at home..." Rio grumbled a bit, and suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a younger man, who looked in his early 30s, smiling at her.

"Pardon me, miss," he said to her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "Is there anything I can help you with?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Yo, my dear Tekken fans! It's Infernal Blossom once again, here to give you guys a great story and some Tekken news!**

**So has anyone seen the new CGIs for the cast of Tekken Tag Tournament 2? They look BADASS! I'm really liking them, especially Steve's, Lee's, Hwoarang's, Lars' and Jun's. Nina and Anna's poses fit their rivalry perfectly. Anyway, tell me what you think of the new character CGIs. Don't know where to find them? Search for the TTT2 character select theme on Youtube, and there's a video that has the screen with the music. It should have Jun's picture showing larger. Hopefully you'll be able to see everyone else's stances as well.**

**Some more good news: I met the creator of Tekken, Katsuhiro Harada IN THE FLESH! I got two autographs from him and spoke with him. He says I have a chance of working under him! He and his sunglasses are truly epic :D**

The man let go of Rio's hand and straightened his posture. He really did look young, much younger than Lee's acquaintances. He had raven black hair slicked back, almost like Steve's, save for a few strands that had managed to get free. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help overhearing you. Your voice matches your beauty to a tee."

Rio rolled her eyes. She'd have to deal with yet another self-centered aristocrat bastard tonight. "Yeah... Unless you happen to be armed with a pack of smokes and a lighter, you'd better back off," she nearly growled at him.

"Nice tongue you've got there," he said back to her. He reached into an inner blazer pocket and pulled out a tin case and lighter. Rio pulled off one of her gloves while the man placed a cigarette in her mouth and lit it. The smoke traveled down her throat before being quickly expelled, and Rio started feeling a little calmer. "You seem quite stressed, dear," he continued, flashing a sly smile. "Perhaps I could be of assistance in calming your frayed nerves..." His hand slowly made its way up her arm and stopped at her shoulder, and Rio's body tensed.

She could already feel him undressing her with his eyes. This was exactly what she needed right now: some rich guy trying to turn her into his next sex story to share with all his country club friends aboard his yacht. "You can't. Piss off," Rio snarled, shrugging his hand off and giving him a death glare. She turned her back to him and took another long drag. "I've got no desire or patience to deal with you."

The young aristocrat chuckled and took a step toward her, moving his hands onto her shoulders once more. "My, aren't we antsy tonight." He slid one hand down her back to the zipper of her dress and leaned closer to her. "I can offer you much more than Lee Chaolan ever can," he whispered in her ear. As if he could even give her a microscopic percentage of what Lee could. "And all you'd have to do to get it is one little favor..." His hands traveled one more time, one now playing with her dress zipper, and the other moving closer to her chest.

"Gladly." Rio spun out of his grasp, cigarette still in hand, and pressed the lit tip against the man's hand. He winced and squealed, the hot leaves and paper burning into his skin and shirt, and stumbled back a few feet. His hand moved up to the burnt skin and he shot Rio a deep glare. "You had it coming, ass." She, in turn, sucked in another puff of the nicotine smoke, blowing it toward him to make a statement.

He gave his own growl to her, still feeling the cigarette burning a mark in between his knuckles. The skin was now a dark fleshy red, and it bubbled a bit at the surface. "I suppose I'm to blame. I should've expected such boorish acts from a class-lacking, cheap harlot." The aristocrat pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the burn. "It's for the best, anyway. Likely, you carry the flesh eating diseases that someone of your...profession is known for." He shot her another glare and took a step toward her, raising his good hand. "Perhaps I should greet you in a way you're accustomed to..."

"And in what manner would that be?" The aristocrat froze and slowly turned his head, seeing Lee standing behind him. The multibillionaire had his own angered expression. He walked around him over to Rio and zipped up her dress. "I'm sorry, Rio. I should have kept a better eye on you. I didn't realize there'd be parasites lurking around during the party." Rio was glad Lee showed up in time to save the day, for once. In another second the bastard would've been on the floor with a bloody nose, and her shoe would've been stained red. That wouldn't have been a good look for Lee, who looked about ready to do the same. He took a closer look at the younger man and sighed. "Ah, it's you, Francisco. You haven't changed a bit."

The younger man, now known to Rio as Francisco, sneered back at Lee. "You should've picked some arm candy with a better attitude, Chaolan. She owes me for the damage she's done." He tore off the handkerchief from his hand and showed off the burn to Lee. "I expect your little pet to pay interest, as well..."

Rio was about ready to go through with her original plan when Lee interrupted once more. "Are you referring to the value of that thing you consider a business? Don't make me laugh." He pulled his cellphone out from his blazer pocket and flipped up the top. "With one call, I can buy out every share and bankrupt you. But I'm sure you wouldn't mind. After all," he stated sarcastically, "you do have other sources of supporting yourself." Francisco shuddered, noticing that the attention of everyone in the gala had fallen on the little scene taking place on the balcony, and tried to think of a comeback. Nothing that crossed his mind left his lips and he stormed out of the hall, whispers following behind him about the incident. Lee ran a hand through his hair and turned his attention back to Rio. "My apologies again. He shouldn't bother you anymore." Everyone had returned to their posts, but still kept the billionaire and his woman in their peripheral vision.

"I suppose I owe you one for that," Rio replied, "I was about ready to kick his ass off this balcony." She inhaled the smoke one last time before stomping out the glowing paper. "But don't think I'll be paying you in sex, like that asshole expected for some strange reason."

"You know I'd never ask such a thing." Lee heard the musicians playing another piece, and memories of him dancing with Rio years before flickered in his mind. A smirk worked its way across his face. "Tell me, Rio...do you remember how to waltz?"

She shrugged at him. "I don't know, I guess. Why?" Rio then heard the music and knew what he was getting at. "...Oh, no."

"Not even for just one dance?"

"Not happening."

Lee took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "Please? One dance is all I ask. One dance, and then we can leave." He stared in her eyes until she sighed and nodded.

"...One dance." Rio pulled her hand away and slipped her glove on. "And then you get me the hell out of here."

"I promise. Now, shall we?" Lee offered his hand to Rio, who took it without hesitation. She was so glad he hadn't asked her to stay grinning the whole night, or else she would've left before the pampering even began. He lead her back into the main hall, and everyone's eyes were on them again. Disguise or no disguise, she hated being the center of attention. Lee owed her big time after this, even if this was her payback for being 'rescued'. She hadn't done so much as do a twirl, let alone ballroom dance, since she was a child.

She let him lead her to the center of the ballroom, trying hard to ignore the stares stuck on her. "Just relax," he whispered into her ear. "Pretend they don't exist. It's just you and I, no one else." Rio closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt Lee's hand slide to the middle of her back and pull her closer to him. She straightened her posture and followed his movements; her eyes stayed glued to his so she wouldn't have to see those of everyone around them. The dance floor had been cleared when the two started moving. Nobody dared to join them unless he allowed it. Rio had to admit, she'd almost forgotten how to waltz entirely. It became foreign to her over the years, almost as much as this lifestyle had. She nearly stumbled when he first pulled her in, but once she found her footing, everything was alright. Rio did a little spin here and there to show off for Lee, hoping this would be over soon. She knew he'd try to drag this out as long as he could, especially since this was the payment for what she owed him. To her liking, she got her wish. The dance soon ended with Lee dipping her. She hovered above the floor for a moment, until she heard the music being replaced with clapping. Lee pulled her back onto her feet and escorted her out of the catering hall. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I'm just be glad to be out of there, first off," she grunted as they walked toward the awaiting limousine. "You owe me for being allowed to show me off tonight."

Lee raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean saving you from that parasite didn't make us even?"

"I repayed you for that, just now with that stupid dance. So no, you still owe me." Lee nodded in understanding and helped Rio into the limo, following after her. The door closed and the driver turned onto the road. "And I know exactly what I want in return."

"Anything you desire is yours."

Her gaze moved from him to the window, hesitating for a second. "I need an entry ticket to the King of Iron Fist Tournament." Lee froze mid-sip and turned to her. "No need for you to ask why. You already have an idea why I need to enter, and then win."

"I understand," he replied. "Consider it done. I'll have it delivered to your apartment as soon as possible." He continued on, "Would this make us truly even?" She nodded and he chuckled. "Excellent."

They arrived back at the hotel soon after leaving the gala. None of the hotel employees asked any questions when Lee and Rio walked to the front desk to check in. They'd be able to gossip about the two later on. Once behind the locked doors of Lee's hotel room, Rio loosened herself up and freed her hair. "I still don't understand why you couldn't have just dropped me off at my place," she complained, throwing off her gloves and kicking off her shoes. "I only live a few miles from here."

Lee followed her further into the room and sat beside her, removing his own shoes and gloves. "The night is still young. I'd rather enjoy your presence for just a while longer before ending such an enjoyable evening." He made his way over to the bar and retrieved two wine flutes. "Why don't you make yourself at home?" Lee popped open a bottle of white wine and filled both glasses with the liquid.

"Alright, I guess..." Rio crossed her legs and swayed her foot impatiently. She wanted to get out of that dress so badly. "But I can't stay for very long. Since I already have my spot reserved in the tournament, I need to get back to my training. I lost a lot of time today dealing with that gala of yours. That, and I've got Julia over. I don't want her getting suspicious of anything."

"I understand, Rio," he answered. "I'll have you back at an appropriate time." He gave her one of the glasses and took a sip from his own as he settled next to her. "I really am glad you decided to join me, though. It would've been dreadful had I not had such an enchanting young woman beside me."

Rio raised an eyebrow at him. "Right...So, what's the reason you _really_ wanted me to join you tonight?" She sipped her own wine, still giving him a strange look.

Lee took a deep breath. "Well... What would bring you to believe I have an ulterior motive?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

She stared down at the wine swirling around in her glass. "Hmm, I wonder..." she began sarcastically. "When we first 'reunited', you ended up giving me a necklace that costs at least a few thousand dollars. And now you've pampered me like a queen, so maybe _that_ could prove something's up. All I'm missing is the reason behind it."

He shot a smirk her way. "Is it wrong that I believe a woman of your cailber should be given the world beset in a platinum ring?" Rio nearly choked on her wine when she heard his words. She replied with a confused look, as if to ask what he meant. Lee exhaled and fell silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Rio...it's not often that I meet someone like you. You're...amazing..." He leaned in closer and gently brushed his lips against hers.

"Whoa there," Rio huffed, leaning back a bit. "I think you've had enough wine for about a week." She set her glass on the floor and reached over to take his.

Lee willingly handed her his glass. "Oh. My apologies," he said to her. "Perhaps I got a little carried away. I didn't intend to push."

"You're not pushing anything, idiot. You're just acting weirder than usual."

"What can I say? I have a bit of trouble keeping my composure in your presence." He chuckled a bit, still feeling Rio's eyes on him. "You have a very...hypnotizing quality about you."

Rio shrugged her shoulders. "Uhh...okay. So what, you find the girl you used to babysit attractive all of a sudden? Big deal. You find a lot of women attractive."

"Yes, but..." Lee sighed sharply. "It's more than a mere attraction. Those other women cannot hope to compare to you. You're in a class all you're own."

"I'm afraid I don't follow," she replied, crossing her arms. Was she truly that blind, or did her stubborn nature just cloud her vision?

Lee drew closer to her. "Perhaps I can explain it to you another way, if you'll allow me to..." Rio rolled her eyes and gave him the okay. He placed a hand on her cheek, moving his thumb in small circles. He leaned in closer, but then stopped short. "Would you mind closing your eyes? It'll have a greater effect if you do."

"Uh, sure..."

Rio took a deep breath and closed her eyes, relaxing her posture. "Good. Now just relax..." Lee leaned in again and pressed his lips against hers, lightly inhaling her breath. Rio tensed slightly when his skin touched hers, and blood rushed up to her cheeks. When the tension was no more, he deepened the kiss a bit, catching her lower lip between his. Rio's posture relaxed further and her hand started moving on its own, up his arm toward his shoulder. She could feel his other hand caress her back as his tongue traced around her lips. It begged for entrance until she parted her lips slightly while hooking her free hand around his neck. Lee's tongue quickly slithered into the opening as she began tugging on the collar of his shirt.

His fingers danced along her spine until Rio broke the kiss, panting a bit. "...Is that what you meant?" Lee nodded wordlessly and pulled her back into the kiss. He could tell right away from her hesitation that she'd never kissed another man before him. He wanted to take his time teaching her how to do it right.

Watching from afar was a set of dark chocolate eyes. They stayed glued on the Korean woman for a while longer before closing and turning away.

"I warned you about getting too involved, Rio Sang..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hiya! Infernal Blossom here! How's everyone doing?**

**So I was sick a few weeks ago and was REALLY bored with the things I usually turn to for entertainment. Luckily, though, I now have the Funimation channel, so I started to get into Soul Eater. And let me say, it's pretty awesome. Halloween-based ideas, hilariously opposing personalities and a pink haired creature who doesn't know how to deal with anything sold the series for me. I've quickly become a Soul Evans and Death the Kid fan. Stein's funny, too xD**

**Anyway, I'm gonna go on ahead and continue on with the story. I'm bored and need to occupy myself somehow.**

"I warned you about getting too involved, Rio Kyung Sang..."

The figure turned its attention back to the hotel window. The eyes stared again, watching Lee and Rio kiss in the dim lit room. They remained glued to the two until they couldn't watch anymore, and turned away. "Why...?" she asked. She'd seen Rio's downfall play over and over again in her fortunes, and she'd tried preventing it before it came true. But the girl was obviously too stubborn to listen to her warning. She would have to make her listen. "I'm sorry, but you've left with me with no other choice..." Turning on her heel, the watcher made her way off the roof of the building adjacent to the hotel. If Rio wouldn't listen to reason, then Zafina would need to find a better way to convince her...

Rio broke her kiss with Lee. "Hey," she started, "It's pretty late. I should be getting home now." She got up, removing Lee's hands from her back. "Where'd you put my clothes? I need to change so Julia doesn't ask any questions." She knew her friend would ask anyway, but it'd be easier to walk into her apartment in her usual clothing than in an expensive dress. Lee pointed to his closet and Rio went inside, changing back into her clothes. She was relieved to be out of that curtain. She walked out of the closet and headed for the door, but Lee had risen from his seat and grabbed her hand.

"You know I'm not letting you walk around in the dark by yourself," he said to her with a smile. Rio rolled her eyes. She almost forgot about that. The two left the hotel room and headed toward the elevator, boarding it when the door opened. Lee's hand slid around her waist when they reached the lobby and he led her to his limousine. The driver held the door opened as they entered and closed it behind them, and turned onto the road. As they drove, Lee noticed Rio fidgeting with her sleeve, spotting a scar on her forearm. It was the first time he really paid attention to any of the scars on her body. Seeing them pained him, and not knowing how they came to exist on her skin made him feel worse. "Rio," he hesitated, unsure of how to approach her with the subject, "...Would it be alright for me to ask about... Oh, how do I put this?" Lee found it difficult to finish his question.

"You want to know about what happened to my family?" Lee looked up at Rio and met her eyes. He was about to speak again when she held up a hand and interrupted him. "It's alright. I may as well tell you, since you were like family to us." Her gaze moved from his to the window, watching the buildings pass by. She took in a deep breath and began her story, starting from the last time Lee and her family were together all those years ago, and slowly revealed everything. A swirl of emotions hit the businessman as he listened to her words. "...And then next thing I knew," she finished, "you were re-introducing yourself to me at my job."

Lee's hand reached for hers, laying it above his heart. She didn't deserve to experience such a tragedy. He wanted to take her in his arms and say something along the lines of 'I'm sorry' or 'You shouldn't have had to go through that', but he knew the last thing Rio wanted was anyone's pity. She was also stubborn to the point where she had to be forced to accept help from another person; however, he knew how to break through that abrasive exterior of hers. All he needed were the right words. "If there's ever anything I can do to help you retrieve what was taken from you, don't be afraid to ask me. And you know I refuse to take no for an answer, so don't try to brush it off." Rio felt him squeeze her hand slightly – he definitely wasn't going to back down from this. She rolled her eyes and nodded in understanding as the limousine pulled up to her apartment complex.

The driver opened the door and the two stepped out. "Thanks for the ride," Rio told Lee, who smiled in response. She glanced up to the top floors of the building, finding the window to her living room glowing. She could see Julia's face peeking out from behind the blinds, watching her and Lee for a moment before moving back inside. Rio sighed heavily. "Man, it's gonna be a bitch explaining this all to Julia. But I can't keep her in the dark forever. I trust her enough to tell her the truth. I just hope she understands why I've kept this from her." Lee placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, pulling her attention away from the window.

"I've known miss Chang for quite some time, and I know she will definitely understand your reasons for keeping her in the dark. She's a trustworthy ally, and a good friend." The hint of worry in Rio's eyes faded. "Now..." Lee leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, tasting her mouth and breath for a few seconds before releasing her. "You should get upstairs before you worry her any more than you already have." Rio shook her head at him and walked into the building. She almost forgot to press the button for her floor in the elevator – she was surprisingly worried about how Julia would react to the story of her past. Julia was the first true outsider to learn about this. The only other people who knew were Lee and two others she was close to. But she never thought of the day where she'd share this information with anyone else. The bell for her floor rung, breaking her train of thought. Rio stepped out of the elevator and walked up to her apartment door. As she went to fish her keys from her pocket, the door swung open.

Julia leaned against the inner door frame, braids undone and in her pajamas. Her arms were crossed, and she looked rather unpleased. "We need to have a talk," she stated, allowing Rio to go inside. She let her hostess get settled on the couch before sitting next to her, keeping her eyes glued on Rio. "I just saw you getting out of Lee Chaolan's limousine. Would you like to explain that?" This was what the Korean woman had wanted to avoid. Rio put a hand in her pocket and pulled out her box of cigarettes, which Julia snatched from her hand. "You're not getting these back until I get answers, Rio. You've been so secretive with me ever since we met back in the States, and that was four years ago." Julia crossed her arms again, glowering at Rio. "If we're supposed to be friends, then I don't want to be left in the dark anymore. So spill whatever you're hiding."

Rio stared up at the ceiling. Where was she supposed to even begin? "...Lee's an old family friend of mine," she finally said to her. "I reunited with him a few weeks ago in the restaurant I work at. We haven't seen each other for thirteen years. We caught up, and I owed him a favor, so...I went to a gala with him."

"An old family friend? Sorry, but I'm still left with more questions than answers," she said to Rio, even more confused than before. Rio face-palmed, realizing she'd have to start from the beginning. She sat up and faced Julia, closing her eyes. She reached up and pulled out her hazel contacts, and opened her eyes again, showing their true emerald color to her friend. "Y-your eyes...they're-"

"Mhm. This is the real color of my eyes. I wear these contacts to conceal the real color because..." Her fist tightened as she swallowed hard. "I wear them because my life is in danger. You see, my life thirteen years ago was totally different. I was nothing like I am today. Hell, I even smiled a lot. But all that changed when it was taken away from me..." Rio wanted to stop, but she had to tell Julia the _whole _truth. "Have you heard of a company called Ayaka Corporation?" Julia nodded, bringing her knees to her chest. "Well...that company belonged to...my father." The brown haired woman's eyes turned into saucers. "My name isn't Rio Kyung Sang. That's just the name I use to keep myself safe. My real name is Rio Ayaka."

"So..." Julia was beginning to understand it now. "...But how? I heard the entire family was assassinated!" Rio sat in silence and pulled her shirt off of her body, allowing her friend to see the collection of various scars covering her upper torso.

She pointed to a gunshot scar, residing between her heart and left shoulder. "This one nearly killed me."

Julia thought about it some more, and her eyes started showing a bit of sorrow. "Why did this all happen?" she asked. She was afraid that she'd trigger bad memories for Rio, but she needed to know what her friend went through so she could possibly help her.

Rio's fists tightened to the point where her knuckles turned white. "That's easy. Just blame Heihachi Mishima and his power-hungry ego. He's the one who ordered the execution of my parents and I, all because he was jealous of the fact that my father was more successful than he'd ever be." She stopped and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it barely worked. Julia noticed and handed Rio a cigarette. "Thanks." She lit it and sucked in a puff of the air, blowing it out and sighing in relief. "I didn't lose you in the story, did I?" Her friend shook her head no. "Good. Anyway, where was I?

"My father was the head of Ayaka Corporation. It was the one of the Zaibatsu's biggest competitors, next to G Corporation. Ayaka and the Zaibatsu were always trying to outdo each other, and my family's company usually came out on top. My parents would often be invited to visit Mishima and his estate, probably to try and find a way to surpass my father. He seemed like a nice man on the outside. Funny, huh? We'd also visit Lee's estate, at least once every two weeks. Lee would be asked to babysit me when my parents had a big event to go to. By the time I was eight, Ayaka and G had formed a sort of alliance – they evenly shared information, products and even profit. Ayaka's status as a major world company was skyrocketing, and Heihachi couldn't handle that.

"He finally had it, however, when my father announced he would be speaking with the head of Rochefort Oil Industries about proposing a deal that would really put Ayaka at the top. He couldn't handle his jealousy any longer, so he decided to 'eliminate the competition'. That bastard sent his troops to my home and assassinated my father at point blank range. My mother and I managed to escape, but only for a little while. She was killed shortly after calling my uncle and telling him where to find me. I still remember my last sight of her. She was bleeding from a gaping hole in her neck, saying, 'Don't stop running'. I did, but then I was shot. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, looking up at my uncle, and I learned that Heihachi completely overtook my family's company. I had to remain in hiding so he wouldn't hunt me down, so I hid my eyes behind contacts so nobody would recognize me. I was only ten when it all happened." Rio stopped talking to see if Julia was still listening. Her friend had tears welling in the corners of her eyes, and she was trying to suck them back in. Rio sighed. "Julia..."

Julia wrapped her arms around Rio and hugged her tight, burying her face into her scarred shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Rio? Maybe I could've tried helping you get your company back somehow." Rio rolled her eyes and pat Julia's back. She knew this reaction would come from her friend. For now, all she could do was let Julia hug out all the anguish she was feeling.

"I know you probably feel bad for me," Rio told her, "but I don't need you doing that. That's the last thing that'll help me." Julia looked up at her and nodded, wiping her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. The only reason I'm telling you this now is because you're the first person I've been able to trust in a long time. It's kind of hard to know who to trust when you've got a killer after you." Her friend nodded in understanding and let her go.

The next few minutes were filled with silence, except for the sound of the television. It felt uneasy to Julia, while Rio acted like nothing had happened. Most of the silence was spent with Rio finishing her cigarette and Julia thinking about how things would've been different if the incident had never occurred. She glanced over to her friend and imagined what she'd looked like as a child, seeing her playing with a younger Lee Chaolan as her parents watched from the nearby doorway. It had such a sweet feeling to it. To think all that was taken away from her... "So what was it like living in the upper class?" she asked, reaching over for the remote.

Rio blew a puff of air toward the ceiling and put out the lit stick. "I only remember a little bit of it, but it was pretty different from living as the common man. We always had people waiting on our call for things like cooking and going out. People practically worshiped the ground my father walked on, and treated me the same at the few parties I went to. He figured I'd be bored out of my mind being the only kid at them – which he was absolutely right about – so he'd often ask Lee to watch me." She paused for a second to take a sip of juice that was sitting in a glass on the nearby coffee table. "The only difference in how Lee treats me now and then is back then, he didn't compliment my looks in a more mature manner, or kiss me."

Julia, who had been drinking a glass of her own, choked on the juice and hit her fist against her chest to clear her throat. "He...kissed you? As in..." She really didn't want to say her next words. "...On the lips?" Rio nodded, earning an eyebrow raise from Julia. "Don't you think the age gap between you two is a BIT much?" Rio just shrugged her shoulders at her.

"Lee's always been like that. He always surrounded himself with women; he even did one of the times he was watching me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just his friend...AND MAYBE another girl he wants to have a little fling with."

"...But you said he babysat you when you were a kid."

Rio gave a heavy sigh and replied, "Julia, don't make this weirder for me than it already is."

"What's the matter, Rio?" Julia moved closer to Rio. "It looks like you're blushing." Rio tred turning away, only to have Julia move in even closer. "Don't tell me you're actually feeling something for him!"

Now it was Rio's turn to choke, on air this time. "W-what? No!" she replied defensively. "You're just making this more awkward than it needs to be!" Julia was right, though, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. She _was_ blushing, and it got heavier when she mentioned having feelings for Lee. "I don't feel ANYTHING like that for Lee!"

Julia was going to get the truth out of Rio, one way or another. "So then why'd you let him kiss you?"

"He was drunk off his ass and surprised me," she replied, moving to the edge of the couch and grabbing a pillow, using it to block Julia's view of her. "Well, would you look at the time!" She needed to calm her mind before her friend made her implode. Julia, of course, knew Rio was saying anything to try and end the conversation.

"...Is he a good kisser?"

"Dammit, Julia!" Rio yelled, pulling the pillow closer to her face and gripping it tighter. Julia began laughing; she'd never seen Rio so squirmy before. She laughed harder when she realized how red Rio's cheeks had become. Rio, in turn, growled angrily and threw the pillow at Julia before marching off to her room. "I'm going to bed!"

Julia's laughing quickly subsided as she followed close behind her friend, catching the bedroom door before it completely closed. The Korean woman hadn't even bothered to change out of her clothes, or even go under the bed sheets. "Rio," she started, "come on. You know I was only fooling around with you." Julia sat on the edge of the bed, patting her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay if you actually _do_ feel something for him. It just surprised me, that's all."

Rio flipped onto her back and folded her hands behind her head, now calm and blush-free. "I feel the same about Lee as I do for Hwoarang or any other person: they're just people." She turned her gaze from the ceiling to Julia. "Which reminds me. Promise me you'll keep everything I've told you about my past a secret. I don't trust anyone else enough to tell them." Julia nodded. "Good. Now, I really do need to go to sleep. I'm waking up early tomorrow to do some training, and I'm dragging the three stooges along."

"You mind if I join you?" Julia asked. Rio shrugged her shoulders in response and turned back on her side. She was too tired to change. "Just wake me up when you get up. I'll see you in the morning." Julia left Rio's room, closing the door behind her. She turned off the television in the living room before heading up to the spare bedroom. As she got under the covers, Julia realized something. Rio said she felt the same way about Lee as she did for Hwoarang and any other person. So then why did she say Hwoarang's name before 'any other' person? It got her thinking, and she replayed scenes of Rio and Hwoarang interacting in her head. From everything she'd seen, he was nothing more than a nuisance to her. "Maybe I'm just over thinking things," she whispered to herself, turning off the lamp next to her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hiya! Infernal Blossom once again! Hope you're all prepared for the holiday season!**

**So my first semester of college is over. B's all around! I swear, I didn't think I'd survive it at all. But by the time the middle of November swung around, I calmed down and got used to it. Point being: college isn't easy to adjust to. Hell, it took me nearly three months. Oh well. At least I'm prepared for the remaining three-and-a-half years at SVA. Took me long enough.**

**Alrighty, so let's get this show on the road. Chapter 14 ONWARD! Happy Holidays!**

Sean was far from being in the mood for training. Paul had called him the day before to talk about the tournament, which he'd gotten his hands on. There was one for himself, one for his student, one for his friend Marshall Law – whose cooking was disliked greatly by Sean – and then an extra. After talking about entering the tournament and checking up on Sean's training, Paul asked his student if Steve would be interested in joining their 'team'. The boxer obliged, saying he didn't care for the prize money should they win. Having a world champion boxer on his master's team was exciting, as was the fact that Sean would be participating in his second international tournament and training for it.

But the fact that Rio had Julia tell them to be up at eight-thirty in the morning on a Saturday to be ready to start training made him think she was, as he described it, bat-shit crazy. "What person in their right mind would get up on a Saturday at 8:30 AM to punch a bag of sand around?" he thought out loud. And that wasn't even the half of it. While Rio had been MIA the entire day, Julia and the guys decided to hang out at Hwoarang's place. Steve was successfully able to talk to her without having the PMSing cat stomper breathing fire down his neck. It had started out as a good day...until Hwoarang decided to challenge Sean to a game of beer pong, only with vodka. It seemed to last for a while, until Hwoarang gave up on his fifth cup. In a vodka-fueled state of triumph, Sean seized the bottle of remaining alcohol and took swig after swig of the burning liquid. That, of course, resulted in him passing out on the couch and waking up with a hangover gone wrong – which, as any man who drinks knows, was far from a good thing when you had to wake up so early to train for a tournament.

The teenager rubbed his eyes. He could see Julia a few meters away, waving to them and looking a bit tired herself. She understood what the guys were going through completely as they got closer and she saw their worn-out expressions. "Morning," she half-yawned to them. She had a few plastic bags in her hands and a duffel bag hanging from her shoulders. At least Rio let her stop to pick up breakfast for them all.

"Morning," the guys said back to her.

Hwoarang looked over to Rio, who was wide awake and tapping her foot impatiently. "Took you guys long enough," she complained. Eight-thirty in the freaking morning, and she was _ALREADY_ bitchy? Oh, this was going to be a fun day.

Sean rubbed his eyes again, replying, "You better have a good reason for this, Rio..." He yawned and continued with his rant, his head still pounding a bit. "You're fucking with the embryo stage of a massive hangover, and the last thing I need is to be kicked in the head by you."

"Although he buried it in drunk speak," Steve followed up, "He's kind of right. It's early as hell." Rio swung open the door to the dojang, letting everyone else go in before her. She flipped on the lights in the building and began setting up the gear in the training area. Julia pulled out a large folding table from against the wall and opened it up. She began emptying out the bags, laying out the bagels and bananas alongside some cartons of milk and juice. Steve, who happened to be behind her, reached an arm past her shoulder and grabbed one of the bagels. "Thanks, love," he whispered in her ear.

Hwoarang and Sean, who had gone straight to the locker room, came out in their training gear. Rio overheard them complaining some more about her waking them up so early for nothing, and crossed her arms. She cleared her throat loud enough to gain their attention and said to them, "Well it's too damn bad that you decided to get wasted last night...AGAIN. You two better wake yourselves up, because it's time for some serious training."

Julia overheard the start of the argument and poked her head in, yawning into her hand. "Come on, Rio. You shouldn't be so harsh. How can you expect them to be so alert at..." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "...A quarter to nine on a Saturday morning?"

"Because Rio doesn't sleep. She waits," Hwoarang commented. He began to do some light stretches and cracked his knuckles. "Seriously, though. This couldn't wait a few hours? Maybe until the afternoon?" He slowly slid down into a split, feeling the muscles in his thighs tense.

Rio grabbed her bag and headed toward the women's locker room. "You know that's not possible. Master Baek has three classes to teach. So get over it, pansy ass." That earned a simultaneous 'Ooooooh!' from Steve and Sean as she vanished behind the locker room door.

"Fine, fine. Guess I'll just have to kick your ass early today."Julia, now finished setting up the breakfast area, carried her bag over to the locker room. Her hand slapped her face while listening to the two tae kwon do fighters' childish argument.

"Oh boy, here we go again..." She sighed heavily as she pushed the door open. "Can't you two wait to argue until we've all fully awakened and had something to eat?" Julia couldn't help but to roll her eyes as Rio passed by her, already in her training gear, and returned to the training area. She watched her sit next to Hwoarang and start a butterfly stretch on her legs, laying her chest almost completely on the floor. Rio and Hwoarang looked at each other for a few seconds, most likely sizing each other up, before turning away and returning their focus onto their stretching. Julia shook her head and started changing into her training clothes. Those two were impossible, especially with how they acted toward one another. If you took away all the swearing and fighting, she thought to herself, they could almost be like a legitimate couple.

Steve quickly got changed and went right to work on one of the punching bags hanging in the corner. The bag wildly rattling was the only thing that was heard for a few minutes, aside from the occasional groans from stretching. Julia returned in her training clothes and sat near Steve, hoping Rio wouldn't make a scene without her nearby to keep her in check. Lucky for her, she and Hwoarang seemed to be getting along just fine. Sean had retreated to the main hall to drink down a few aspirins in an attempt to alleviate the beating headache. All was calm.

Rio stood up, finished with her stretching, and looked down at Hwoarang. He glanced up at her, noticing her stare, and gave her a smug look. "Yeah? What is it?" She turned away from him, and he sat up. "If you've got something to say, then say it." She didn't answer right away, but she held her arm and her lips formed a sort of pout. Julia noticed immediately and smiled a bit. That was the same face Rio made when she asked her if Lee was a good kisser.

'_Interesting..._' she thought to herself. '_I wonder if she'd blush the same way if I asked her about Hwoarang._' Julia wanted to test that out. But first, she'd need to formulate a good plan.

Rio continued to make the same squirming face, and even went to bite her bottom lip. She disappeared for a short moment, and returned from the equipment room with two large padded paddles. She shoved them into his stomach and took a step back, placing a hand on her hip. "Hold these while I do some kicks." Hwoarang raised an eyebrow, surprised that she was asking for his assistance in _anything_.

"Alright, if you say so. Start with a weak roundhouse to the lower leg, then go into a triple roundhouse and finish with a spinning hook kick." Hwoarang clapped the paddles together and got ready to take the impact. "Think you can handle that?"

"Please," Rio replied, rolling her eyes. She tightened her ponytail and slid her foot back, raising her fists to her chest. She lifted her leg and threw the kicks he called for; her leg went for his lower leg, then she switched between both legs, and ended by spinning away from the paddle and hitting it with her heel. As she got back into her original stance, she noticed Hwoarang shaking his head.

"Wait, do that again. I need to see something."

Her head tilted to the side in confusion. "What, the whole thing?"

Hwoarang started at her, telepathically asking, '_Are you serious_?' "What, the whole thing?" he replied in a mocking tone. "Yes the WHOLE thing." He clapped the paddles together again and got ready.

She growled a little. "No need for the mockery, ass." Rio repeated her kicks, and got the same reaction from him.

"Yup, you're still rushing it." He handed the paddles over to her and positioned her arms for the first kicks. "If you're going to throw your hook kicks like that, then the only person that's getting knocked out is you."

"What are you talking about? I was doing it right."

Hwoarang threw the same kicks as her, being sure to extend his hook kick. Once finished, his eyes went back to her. "No you're not. You're throwing a really lazy hook kick. This kick is meant to put someone out, so extend it and hit the target like you have some conviction."

Rio didn't like what she was hearing. "Look, I KNOW I did that kick right. Your eyes are just screwing with your brain." She handed the paddles back to him. "Now I'm going to do it again, so tell me what you REALLY see. Okay?"

Her partner took the paddles from her, rolling his eyes. "Alright, but all I see is you screwing it up again." He clapped them together a third time and prepared for impact. Rio sucked in a deep breath before going at the paddles a third time. She came at him with slightly stronger kicks than her last two attempts. Hwoarang, once again, shook his head at her. "No, no, no. If you're unfortunate to fight anyone with a brain, that shit's not going to cut it."

"Then how about I use it on you? You seem to be lacking one..." she sassed. Julia, had overheard their 'conversation', and sighed. They couldn't go ONE day without being at each other's throats?

Before their 'conversation' could go any further, the group heard a loud high-pitched noise coming from the women's locker room. It was a ringing noise, loud enough to steal everyone's attention. "Great, time for my concentration to be interrupted," Rio complained. She retreated to the locker room to go answer it, and didn't return for almost fifteen minutes. She reappeared with an even more annoyed look. "Hey, I've gotta step out for a bit. Got a personal matter to attend to." Rio vanished once more, leaving Hwoarang to train on his own.

Watching her run off, Hwoarang sighed. "Any excuse to avoid an ass-kicking, huh?" He shrugged it off and walked over to one of the punching bags. "Whatever. Sean, come spot me." Sean nodded and went to spot him, while Julia finished her stretching and walked over to Steve.

"Thank goodness...she can be a bit overbearing sometimes." Steve finished working the bag and tossed off his gloves, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, but that's because she's so stressed out, what with the tournament being so close." He laid a hand on her shoulder, feeling her jump slightly. "Ooh, I'm feeling some tension. May I?" Julia nodded and moved her braids out of the way as his hands started kneading circles into her shoulders.

"Thanks," she replied. "Rio means well; she just has some trouble showing her emotions in the right way, is all." In the back of her mind, Julia wondered if the three guys knew the truth about Rio. She'd never heard them talking about Rio's past, or even saying anything about her eyes. Perhaps they were still clueless to the secret she was hiding from them behind her contacts.

Unaware of her thoughts, Steve just continued massaging her, thankful Rio wasn't around to try and stand between them. "I dunno. She seems to show anger and indifference quite well." His hands slid down to her shoulder blades, where he felt more tension under her skin. "You've got a huge knot over here..."

Julia winced, feeling his hand poke around the knot in her muscle. "Yeah, _NOW_ I feel it. Maybe I really should've taken up the guest room instead of spending the last week on her couch."

"You know, you could always stay with me. I could make some room for you in MY bed."

That earned him a small blushing laugh. Thanks, but Rio would kill you if she ever found us alone in the same room. You need to earn her trust that's not easy." She leaned back to Steve's face and moved close to his ear, whispering, "Either way, we'd have to distract her first..." Steve's cheeks reddened a little and choked a little, making Julia laugh again.

Steve's eyes moved up to the ceiling. "And how would we ever manage to do that?" Julia shot him a smirk, as if she already had a plan in mind.

"Come on, we're a few smart adults. I'm sure we can come up with something if we put our heads together." She glanced at Hwoarang and her smirk grew bigger. "I've already got an idea or two in my head, but I'll need your help with it." Steve raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Julia spent the next half hour formulating a plan with him while Sean and Hwoarang hung around by the punching bag, switching to the Korean spotting the Irish fighter.

"You think that'll work?"

"Hey, I've known Rio for years. Trust me-"

Julia's words ceased when she saw Rio walking in. "Alright, I'm back. And I brought-" She was a second away from pointing behind her when she spotted Steve's hands on Julia's shoulders. Her fists tightened, and she bared her teeth. "Steve..."

"Oh, relax," a silken voice called out behind Rio. "You're being so uptight for no reason."

Steve immediately pulled his hands from Julia's shoulders. He was about to start running his mouth about Rio acting like an overprotective mother when the silky voice replayed in his head, and he caught sight of its owner. It was easy to tell she was far from just any person, considering all the white and frills she wore. The clothing and waist-length blond hair framed her pale body, and bright gray eyes darted around. "Um..." Steve thought he was seeing things as he motioned a hand toward Sean. "Is that who I think it is? Because if it is, we're going to have a bit of a problem." Hwoarang overheard him and turned from Sean for a second to catch sight of the girl, only to quickly go back to his friend, screaming in his mind how glad he was that Sean was too busy beating up the bag to hear anything going on around.

"Yeah, so what?" Rio answered him. "Besides, it was Paul's idea for her to come here. I'm just the delivery girl." Rio turned her head to the girl and pointed over to Sean. "Hey, look, it's your opponent from the last tournament. Why don't you go say hi?"

The blond girl saw Sean, and a wide smile crept onto her face. "Ah, it's HIM! He was so adorable when I faced him!" She put a finger to her chin and looked up to the ceiling. "Why, I remember how he turned red and fainted. I didn't have to lift a finger." She smiled wider and skipped over to Sean ignoring Steve and Hwoarang's head shaking in an attempt to stop her. But she pretended she didn't see their actions. Hwoarang, too afraid of saying her name, kept his mouth shut as she tapped on his shoulder.

Sean spun around, a bit annoyed. "What is it no-" He froze upon seeing Lili, wide-eyed and starting to go red. "You...! Uh...uh...uh...uh..." He tried finishing his sentence, even to get a second complete word out, but the only thing that increased was his stammering and redness.

"Hi!" Lili squealed. "Did you miss me? Because I've missed you dearly!" She pulled him into a tight hug, hearing a high-pitched squeak as her arms wrapped around him. Julia raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

"Uhh...does somebody want to fill me in on this?"

Steve stood up and helped Julia to her feet. "Well, he has a HUGE crush on her. Sean met Lili in the last King of Iron Fist tournament, and the moment he saw her, he plopped to the ground unconscious." He couldn't help but to chuckle at the scene replaying in his head. "She's basically his kryptonite." As he reached the end of his explanation, Sean let out one last choked gasp before going limp in Lili's arms and falling over backwards.

Rio sighed. "He's got no backbone whatsoever."

Lili knelt beside Sean and started poking his unconscious body to see if he responded. "Uh oh, it happened again..." She shook her head and gave him another smile, which only lasted two seconds when she suddenly realized how drenched her clothing had become from hugging the Judo fighter. "EWWWWWWWW! I've got sweat on my clothes! Somebody get me a towel!" she shrieked, trying desperately to wipe off the sweat using her already damp sleeves, only to shriek even louder. Everyone around them began lauging, with the exception of Rio, who just sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering what possessed her to ever hang out with these people.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all! Infernal Blossom here!**

**I've decided to work on a few thing that I'll be adding on to the story. One's a roster for the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. It'll have the names of all 64 fighters – I had to make up some random names for the extras so the competition could be evenly balanced out. In the process of doing this, I ended up adding in quite a few more countries and fighting styles that hadn't been featured in the Tekken series to begin with. The match-ups are completely random, which means there's no gender, fighting style or level limit. As for the winners and losers, they're mostly based on Scenario Campaign and each character's appearance in it.**

**The second thing is a bonus chapter, but that won't be until the end of the story. It'll be about the tournament that takes place in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. The game's scheduled to come out for Christmas 2012.**

**Alright! So little notes aside, let's get on with the story. Time to start adding some Scenario Campaign in!**

**ONE WEEK EARLIER**

_Jin's helicopter arrived over the ruins, flying into the dust covering the structure. It slowly lowered onto a large stone pathway, making sure it was sturdy enough to support the machine before fully landing. A soldier helped the Zaibatsu leader and his bodyguard out from the helicopter and watched as they ascended the stairs leading up to the structure. They made their way down the ancient stone path in silence, and suddenly halted when they saw a woman intercepting the walkway. Nina and Jin exchanged a glance before Nina approached the woman."Who are you?"_

"_I have no business with you," Zafina answered in an angered tone, moving her glare from the woman to Jin. "Jin Kazama...You have been warned. Stop you warring before it is too late." Jin only stared back at her with uncaring eyes._

"_I don't have time for this."_

_Zafina cursed under her breath. "Six months have passed since the magic that binds this place was broken," she began. "And now, events are unfolding, just as the legend foretold. This world is headed for destruction."_

_The air was growing thicker than the depth of the desert's sands. Jin took a step toward her and asked, "And what if the legend turns out to be wrong?"_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_You claim to be a descendent of these people, yet you don't feel it?" He saw her eyes widen slightly and continued. "I began my investigation as soon as the ruins appeared. I had a feeling, but now I know." Jin fell silent for a moment, glancing at the ground. "He has already begun to stir."_

_Zafina's eyes had grown to the size of saucers at his words. "You speak as if you actually know what these ruins hold." She tried her best to conceal the fear that started rising in her, wondering if Jin actually knew what he was talking about._

_Jin took hint of this, however. "Long ago...they called him 'The Rectifier'. This temple was built in his name... The name of Azazel." He looked up to the statues standing on either side of the temple entrance, seeing the image of the beast etched into their faces._

_Zafina took a step away from him, letting out a low gasp. "How do you know that? Answer me!" she demanded. "How is it you know that-"_

"_Why?" he interrupted. "Does it really make a difference?"_

"_...No, but..." Zafina hesitated, breaking their staring match. She didn't want to believe his words, but she knew he spoke the truth._

_He took another step toward her. "It's already started. And nobody has the power to stop it. Nobody...except me." As Zafina's eyes returned to Jin, the Zaibatsu helicopter's propeller had started spinning. Nina, who had vanished during their tense conversation, rejoined the two and walked up to Jin._

"_We need to go. The G Corporation is up to something."_

"_Alright," Jin replied. He looked toward Zafina and said, "I will put an end to this," before following his bodyguard onto the vehicle. The guardian watched as the helicopter hovered above the temple grounds and took off. She knew that the only way she would be able to have a chance at stopping Jin AND Kazuya would be by entering the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. Zafina closed her eyes, remembering the visions she saw of the two men clashing. She had to do everything in her power before the two men destroyed the planet._

_As she recollected her vision of them, another came to mind. It was of a young woman with a streak in her hair and green eyes, hiding them behind contacts. She was on her hands and knees, beaten, glaring up at Jin and an older man. Zafina's eyes flew open. She'd seen Rio before, warning her about confronting them the first time they made contact, even threatening to stop her herself. Rio didn't take too kindly to what she had to say, and a fight was initiated. She left angrier than when she'd first arrived after finding she couldn't beat Zafina so easily. But both women knew that this was only the beginning._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So remind me," Hwoarang asked for the fifth time that day, "HOW did you find out Sean was here?" Lili had told him and the others already, but none of them could really believe it – ESPECIALLY Sean.

She rolled her eyes and repeated herself. "I told you already. His master tracked me down and told me to make sure his student was fully focused on his training for the next tournament." Lili took a folded paper out from her pocket. "That's the basic summary of what Mr. Phoenix said. I could barely read his atrocious handwriting. Maybe you can decipher it?" She handed Sean the folded paper, holding it until his shaky hands managed to grasp it. Rio sighed as she watched him try his hardest not to touch her for fear of passing out again, thinking how idiotic he was acting. He relaxed himself, unfolded the paper and did his best to read the words written on it, squinting to read it better.

"...Ah. Yup, NOW I can read it." He cleared his throat and read the note to himself.

_'I don't want any bullshit from you this time. No more of this lovesick crap. If you want to fight, then fight. Lili's here to make sure you do just that. After you pick your jaw off the ground, I want you to spar with her. Either you're going to ask her out, or you're going to kick her ass. Either way, you're getting your ass in gear. I'll be checking on you when we meet at the tournament._

_Don't fuck it up._

_-Paul'_

Sean nearly choked on his own breath when he read the note. "Hey, what's it say?" Steve asked as he snatched it out of his hands. His eyes scanned over the words and he started laughing, unable to contain it for a second longer. "Oh my god! This is too great!" Hwoarang took it from Steve and joined in the laughter after reading it, making the red tint on Sean's cheeks deepen. He was really glad Lili couldn't read much of Paul's handwriting. And speaking of his master...he was going to get it once they met up the following month. Sean glanced over to Lili, who had wandered over to watch Julia finish her yoga stretches. He'd either have to muster up the courage to admit his feelings, or beat her in a fight. He held his head in his hand and sighed. Steve and Hwoarang's laughter ceased when they noticed their friend's distraught expression and sat next to him. "Cheer up, mate. You've just got to take it in baby steps." They heard the two girls laugh a little over something while Rio just shook her head at them and tried coming up with ideas. "The first thing we need to do is get you to stop fainting whenever she touches you. We need to get you able to say a full sentence to her without passing out."

"And the best way to do that is over a nice brunch," Hwoarang added, turning his attention to the women. "Yo, girls, we're going out to eat. You've got five minutes to get ready." He and Steve helped Sean up and headed into the men's locker room to change. Once all ready and outside, Hwoarang got onto his motorcycle while everyone else piled into Rio's car. Rio followed behind as Hwoarang led them to a small diner across town. They parked on the opposite side of the street, in front of a deli.

As they crossed the street, Steve turned back in the direction of the deli. "I'll meet you all inside. Just going to see if there are any newspapers in English." He strolled into the deli and went straight for the newspaper rack, and began his search for a legible print. Unfortunately for him there was no such paper. "Oh well. Guess Hwoarang will just have to translate for me." Steve grabbed a paper from the top of the stack and paid for it, quickly running over to the diner. He found the group right away and joined them at the table. "Sorry 'bout the wait. They didn't have any translated copies."

Hwoarang shrugged. "No problem, I'll read it to you." He grabbed the paper from him and started scanning it for something interesting while his friend picked off of the toast that had been left on the table for them. "In the meantime, start helping out poor Sean."

"I don't know..." Steve laughed. "You sure he can be helped?"

Sean scowled at the two, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Stuff it, you. You wouldn't understand." A dreamy look cast over his face. "She's just so...amazing."

This earned him another laugh and a dismissing wave from Steve. "Damn right, I wouldn't understand. I wouldn't know what it's like to live in the shoes of a lovesick puppy." Steve turned his attention to an attractive waitress at the far end of the diner. "Look, practice makes perfect. Go call that waitress over there and have a conversation with her."

"That's not going to make any difference," he told Steve. "It's not the same as talking to Lili." He leaned his head on his hand and sighed. "I appreciate you trying to help me out, but it just wouldn't work..."

"What wouldn't work?" Lili asked, looking up at Sean, causing his blush to deepen drastically. Her head tilted slightly to the side and she blinked, questioning him again. Sean was frozen, unable to finish a word as her face drew closer. "Is something the matter? You look as if you're about to faint again." He had to get a grip of himself before he _did_ pass out again. After a few deep breaths and Lili moving away from him a bit, Sean managed to calm down. Steve nodded in his direction, impressed. Maybe there was hope for him.

The group ordered their food and soon dug into their afternoon brunch. Hwoarang had grown bored of the newspaper pretty quickly after barely skimming through the top stories on the first few pages. There were only articles about the tournament and some local things, like a big gala that had occurred the previous night. There was a picture above the article, but he didn't bother to look at it or even read the caption. "Find anything interesting in the news?" Steve asked him, finishing the last of his food. Rio saw the stack of plates piled in front of him and gave him a look that told him she wasn't paying for everything.

"Not much. Just talk about the tournament. The only other big thing is a story about this gala that took place last night." Rio and Julia froze in the middle of their last fork fulls of food. They exchanged glances and a telepathic conversation commenced, Rio telling Julia with her eyes that she was going to kill Lee the next time she saw him. Julia used her eyes to tell Rio to relax and that everything would be fine.

Steve set down his now empty glass. "A gala, huh? What's it say?"

Hwoarang's eyes went back to the paper and he started reading the article. "It says that some big business tycoons were there." His eyebrow raised slightly. "Apparently Chaolan was one of them. He made an appearance with some broad-" He froze mid-sentence when he took a better look at the photo included. "...Wait... Hey, look at this." Hwoarang handed the paper over to Steve and pointed to the middle. "See that woman with him? Doesn't she look familiar?"

Sean moved in closer and took a look as well. The three guys studied the photograph closely. They easily picked Lee out of the faces and found the woman who held his arm, who didn't look happy to be there. Her outfit and makeup were beautiful, but then there was the lighter portion of hair strands in her bangs, and then the scars pasted all over her chest and shoulders. After a few minutes of studying, they looked up from the paper at Rio. Their stares moved back and forth several times, and then they looked at each other, lowering their voices to a whisper.

"No way, that's impossible."

"Yeah, there's no chance. They look somewhat alike, but it can't be."

"She couldn't have been there. Julia told us she was out making deliveries at work."

"Not to mention the fact that she couldn't possibly know him, not in a million years."

Lili had grown curious of the guys' 'secret meeting' on the other side of the table, so she decided to get up and see what they were whispering about. She laid a hand on Sean's shoulder and looked over to the paper. "What's so interesting that you need to whisper about it?" she asked.

Sean immediately froze upon hearing her voice. "Oh...uh..." He nearly choked on the food he was chewing as he searched for either an answer or a way to stop himself from passing out. "It's, uh...it's... It's nothing, just a...picture someone took." Steve pat his other shoulder, giving him another impressed nod.

Ignoring his shaking, Lili moved in closer and looked down at the picture. She was silent as she studied every face, her eyes narrowing to get a better view of one particular face. Her eyes darted up to Rio and she said, "My, Rio. I never knew you could blend in so well with upperclass society." The guys dropped their forks and brought their attention onto Rio. "See? Doesn't she look gorgeous in this dress?"

"No way!" Hwoarang shouted, banging his palms on the table. "You lied to us!"

Rio put down her glass, not paying attention to Julia's worried glance. "...Fine, you caught me. I was at the gala last night with Lee Chaolan. Happy now that you know the truth?"

"Don't give me that shit. How could you lie to us about something like that?"

"It was easy," she replied sarcastically, "until I was put in the limelight." She hit her palm to her forehead and groaned. "That ass is REALLY going to pay for this."

Steve continued staring at the photo of Lee and Rio. Was that really the same hot-headed woman he was sitting across from? "So you and Lee know each other?" She nodded in response as he leaned back in his chair. "Wow, so you know the Silver Haired Devil. Think you can get me an autograph? I'm a big fan of him."

Rio raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Sure, whatever. Just don't bug me about it or else-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second," Sean intervened. "You still haven't told us how you even met the guy."

"That's none of your business."

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Maybe it wasn't before, but now you've got no say in the matter. We're involved in this, whether you like it or not. Now spill. How do you know Lee Chaolan?"

Rio's grip on her fork had tightened as she tried to mask her annoyance. Julia pat her friend's shoulder to try and calm her nerves. "Look, maybe you should just tell them. There's really no way to avoid this any longer." Her words only deepened the annoyance in the Korean woman's mood, but they both knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you've got to swear to keep this to yourselves. You tell another soul, and I'll kill you. Got it?" The guys nodded, Hwoarang hesitating to do so. "Lee is an old family friend of mine. He was very close to my family when I was a child."

"Okay, but that doesn't really explain much," Sean told her. "How did your family know him? He's almost as much of a global super power as G Corp or the Zaibatsu." Julia remembered how this exact conversation had carried out the night before. The only difference between now and last night was the amount of trust involved in the matter. She highly doubted that Rio would let them in on everything right now. She needed to accept them as her friends first.

Hwoarang leaned his elbows against the table and stared down his training partner. He could see she didn't want to say anything more on the subject, but he had to know. The only things she did let him in on were her age and rank. Aside from those facts, she was just another stranger he vaguely knew. "I really wish you could trust us," he commented. "I don't feel like you trust me. It's like I told you the day we met: if we're going to be training under the same roof, I – hell, ALL of us – deserve to be allowed into your life. And you keeping secrets like this from us, ESPECIALLY something as big as partying with Chaolan-"

"You don't need to spell it out for me," she interrupted. "You're right, I don't trust you. And the reason for doing so is for myself alone to know."

"Then how come you're so cool around Julia?"

"Because I trust her. Unlike you three, who I don't trust as far as I can kick you." The guys could feel that last comment stab them in the stomach. She was serious.

Brunch ended in an awkward silence. Everyone split the bill, not really saying anything for fear of an argument breaking out between Rio and Hwoarang. As the group left the diner, Rio stopped in front and began digging in her pocket for her cigarettes. The other fighters all went ahead to her car and waited for her to have her smoke so they could head back to the dojang. As Rio brought one of the sticks to her lips, she heard a voice. "I told you to stay out of the way, and yet you did not heed my warning?" The voice caused her body to stiffen and her eyes widened.

"Yo, Rio!" she heard Sean call to her from the car. "We're waiting on you. Hwoarang says to hurry up or else he's driving." But instead of joining them, Rio dropped her cigarette and spun around to face the one who caught her attention.

Her eyes reduced to a narrow scowl and her upper lip quivered as she faced Zafina. "You again..."


End file.
